Tragic Heroes
by Grey-X
Summary: Metal Gear/MKR crossover. Set between Ghost Babel and MGS, and between seasons 1 & 2 of MKR. A mysterious figure comes to tell Snake another Metal Gear Gander is out there and he must stop it. This time he'll have help from a girl named Hikaru Shidou.
1. Prologue: A Tale of Two Heroes

Tragic Heroes  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
Chapter 1: Prologue - A Tale of Two Heroes  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius  
Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight  
Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP  
studios.  
  
"...unreasoned patience sows the seeds of vice, nourishes negligence, and  
invites not only evil but even good people to do evil." -Thomas Aquinas  
  
SPOILER ALERT! : This prologue contains major spoilers for the first season of  
Magic Knight Rayearth and the 2D Metal Gear games. You've been warned.  
  
1994 - Magic Knight Rayearth  
  
Hikaru Shidou was once a cheerful fourteen-year old girl living in the Tokyo  
area. Though short for her age, what this little redhead lacked in height,  
she more than made up in perky enthusiasm and a sprightly spirit. Growing  
up in a loving home with her three elder brothers, she led one of the   
happiest lives anyone could possibly imagine.  
  
But then, everything changed.  
  
One day, Hikaru's all-girls school attended Tokyo Tower for a field trip.  
Although her fellow students hated it, Hikaru, customary to her joyous  
personality, thoroughly enjoyed it. But two other classes from different  
schools were there as well. For some reason, two girls from the other  
classes caught Hikaru's attention: the tall, elegant fencing expert Umi  
Ryuuzaki and the reserved, intellectual Fuu Hououji.  
  
Then, it happened: the event that would change Hikaru's life forever...  
  
All of a sudden, there was a bright, blinding light. And though all present  
couldn't help but to shield their eyes, only Hikaru, Fuu and Umi seemed to  
hear a voice...  
  
And then, they were no longer at Tokyo Tower. They were now in free-fall   
from high up...in a sky belonging to a world not of their own...  
  
After being rescued from an untimely death by a giant flying fish and after  
the three girls introduced themselves to each other ( and after Umi and Fuu   
marvelled at the fact that this short little girl was their age ) , a figure  
emerged who began to explain the situation to the three confused girls.  
  
It was Clef, a 745-year old man who had the appearance of a ten year old   
boy, and the master sorcerer of the world the girls now found themselves  
in. This strange new world was an alien planet known as Cephiro, a magical  
land in which the ultimate power was one's will. For ages, the land had  
been sustained by Princess Emeraude, the Pillar of Cephiro. It was the  
Pillar's duty to preserve the well-being of the planet with the power of her  
will and prayers. In her time as the Pillar, there was no war or strife in   
Cephiro; it was virtually a perfect Utopia.  
  
But recently, disaster had struck. The High Priest of Cephiro, Zagato, had  
kidnapped Princess Emeraude, and locked her away in a place where she could  
not pray for Cephiro. Thus, the entire planet was beginning to crumble at  
its very foundations, and monsters were popping up everywhere, terrorizing  
all who inhabited the planet. Many from Cephiro had stood against Zagato in  
attempts to free the Pillar, but to no avail. For the planet to be saved,  
a Legend would have to be fulfilled...  
  
This was the Legend of the Magic Knights. Three girls would be summoned   
from another world by the Pillar to become the Magic Knights. They would   
need to awaken three beings known as Mashin, powerful living creatures who   
would protect and aid the Magic Knights in battle. In this manner, the   
three could beat Zagato and fulfill the Legend and the Princess's wish.   
Only then could the trio return to Earth.  
  
Upon hearing the explanation Clef gave, each of the girls had a different  
reaction. Fuu's was of intellectual curiousity, while Umi's was of  
staunch resistance ( a perfect Spock/Bones scenario ) . Hikaru, however,  
was committed right from the start, determined to do whatever she could to  
help those in need.  
  
Clef then granted the trio special evolving armor and magic, and then gave  
Hikaru the gift to properly use her fire magic. But suddenly, the sky   
turned dark and the heavens rumbled. Clef immediately knew that Zagato's  
forces had found them out. Summoning another one of his giant animal pets,  
he instructed the girls to head for the Forest of Silence to find Presea and  
Mokona. At that instant, one of Zagato's lieutenants attacked Clef: Alcyone,  
his old student. After Alcyone summoned one of her own pets to battle Clef,  
she immediately went after the fleeing Magic Knights. Clef defeated the  
creature with ridiculous ease, but then, Zagato materialized behind him and  
cast a petrification spell.  
  
It was a two-pronged attack: Zagato was to neutralize Clef, while Alcyone  
was to take out the three girls before they could become true Magic Knights.  
Zagato succeeded, but Alcyone did not.  
  
With her new powers, Hikaru beat Alcyone hands-down and forced her to   
retreat.  
  
Without further incident, the trio reached the Forest of Silence. Then they  
located Presea's hidden dwelling, where they met Presea herself, the chief  
artisan and weaponsmaker of Cephiro, and Mokona, a small, harmless-looking  
creature who would be of invaluable help to the Magic Knights on their  
mission to save this alien planet.   
  
Presea then further explained the girls' mission objectives. In order to  
revive the Mashin, they would need special weapons crafted from a legendary  
metalloid called Escudo. Such a weapon would evolve with its owner  
according to the owner's spiritual and mental growth, and to awaken the  
Mashin, the Escudo weapons had to be evolved to their fullest.  
  
The girls set out to the Spring of Eterna where the metalloid Escudo could   
be obtained. With the guidance of Mokona, and additional aid from a  
mysterious swordsman known only as Ferio, the trio reached the Spring of   
Eterna and retrieved the Escudo, despite two more attacks by Alcyone. Presea  
then was able to make the Magic Knights evolving swords from the Escudo, but  
only after sacrificing her life to finish the swords during an attack from  
another of Zagato's lieutenants: Ascot.  
  
Hurting after the death of Presea after only knowing her for so short a time,  
Hikaru and the others nevertheless knew they had no choice but to proceed  
with their journey and save Cephiro.  
  
And the girls proceeded with their mission indeed. Their journey was   
extremely difficult, for they still had to contend with Zagato's forces.  
Not only did they still have to contend with the ice sorceress Alcyone and   
the monster summoner Ascot, but also the mercenary illusionist Caldina, the  
metamorphic beast Innova, and the master swordsman Lafarga. But as the  
girls progressed further and further, their opponents seemed to be less and  
less motivated by evil desires, and seemed to be fighting for reasons far  
less sinister.  
  
Eventually, all three Mashin were revived: the Mashin of the sea, Celes, the  
Mashin of the wind, Windam, and Hikaru's Mashin, the Mashin of fire, Rayearth.  
And thus the three were ready to face Zagato himself.  
  
And Zagato, in a Mashin of his own, engaged the trio in one of their most   
difficult battles ever. He was one the most powerful enemies they had ever  
faced. And yet, from his words and actions, he hinted that his purposes   
were not those that the girls had originally thought.   
  
Hikaru and her two friends were able to combined their power, and with their  
strong wills, forged by their adventure together, were able to deliver the   
final blow which defeated Zagato.  
  
It seemed as if their mission was over. Little did Hikaru and the others  
realize that it had only begun...  
  
For when Princess Emeraude appeared before them, she immediate unleashed her  
power upon the three. It looks as if Emeraude was about to destroy them, but  
then, the Princess was able to regather herself, and she revealed the truth  
to the confused Magic Knights.  
  
Zagato had not imprisoned Princess Emeraude as they had originally thought.  
Instead, the Princess had sealed herself on her own free will. Her reasons  
for doing that were that she had fallen in love with Zagato. As Pillar, her  
duty was to pray for the stability of her planet and focus on nothing else,  
but she had become enamored with Zagato nonetheless, and thus began to  
think of him more than Cephiro.   
  
In such an event that the Pillar can no longer pray for the land, he or she  
is granted a failsafe: the ability to summon people from another world to   
become the Magic Knights and revive the Mashin. People of Cephiro cannot   
harm or kill the Pillar, but people from other worlds can. This is the   
reason the Magic Knights must come from another world.   
  
And the reason she summoned Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu to become the Magic Knights  
was so that they could take her life so another Pillar could be selected; so  
that she could be free at last.  
  
And Zagato had done everything within his power to make sure this Legend  
would not come to pass, because he had returned Emeraude's love for him,  
and wanted to make sure she would not die...even if it meant that Cephiro  
itself would perish, for his love for Emeraude was great indeed.  
  
Hikaru could not believe what the Princess had told them, and she, as well  
as Fuu and Umi, simply felt unable to kill her. But then, Emeraude's rage  
over the killing of her love began to resurface. While she still had   
control over herself, she explained that if her hatred fully took hold of  
her, she would cause the complete annilihation of Cephiro, and once again  
begged to be sent to be with Zagato, to finally think only of him.  
  
And with heavy hearts and eyes filled with tears, Hikaru, Umi and Fuu   
combined their Mashin into one, and delivered Emeraude the final blow.  
  
And in another dizzying flash, Hikaru and her two friends were once again at  
Tokyo Tower, mere seconds after they were first brought to Cephiro, as if  
nothing had happened.  
  
But the three fully remembered what had happened, and they clutched each other,  
tears of sorrow pouring down their cheeks, as their confused classmates stared  
at them...  
  
1995 - Metal Gear  
  
Hikaru's time in Cephiro was not yet over. Though she and the other two  
Magic Knights successfully completed their first mission in Cephiro, the  
three would soon return, and fight to save Cephiro yet again.  
  
But for now, the focus must shift from the world of Cephiro to Hikaru's own.  
For unfortunately, Earth had never been the paradise Cephiro had once been.  
Its inhabitants had always been plagued by seemingly never-ending strife,  
suffering, and worst of all, war...  
  
...And now, the constant threat of another, more devastating war...  
  
A nuclear war...  
  
The threat of nuclear war still loomed over Earth like an insidious storm.  
Even after the debacle of the Soviet Union, nuclear tensions were still on   
the rise. Each of the superpowers still clung to the deterrence thoery,  
making sure they had enough nuclear arms to discourage all other nations  
from making a nuclear strike. And each superpower possessed enough nuclear  
firepower to destroy the world several times over.   
  
And in this time of anxiety, there were whispered rumors of a deadly new  
nuclear weapon within the borders of a small military nation in Africa.  
This nation was known as Outer Heaven, a military regime that issued  
mercenary cleints and high-tech arms and equipment to the highest bidders.  
  
To investigate these rumors, a special task force was comissioned with the  
job. The force chosen was none other than Fox-Hound, a secret unit of the  
U.S. government charged with secretly disabling forces around the world   
that threatened world peace.  
  
Big Boss, the commander of Fox-Hound, chose Fox-Hound's best operative to  
infiltrate Outer Heaven and discover the truth behind their new weapon.  
This was Frank Jaeger, known to his comrades as Grey Fox, the only man ever  
to receive the codename "Fox".  
  
Grey Fox was successful in sneaking into Outer Heaven. But soon, contact with  
him was lost, and leaving a message with only two words before this happened:  
  
"Metal Gear"...  
  
To discover the meaning of Grey Fox's message, another operative would have  
to be sent in...  
  
Solid Snake.  
  
Snake was the newest member of Fox-Hound. He was recruited because of his  
admirable combat skill, but had very little experience with the type of  
missions Fox-Hound dealt with. Nevertheless, Big Boss ordered Snake to  
enter Outer Heaven, find Grey Fox, and find out what Metal Gear was.  
  
Snake successfully made it into Outer Heaven undetected. Alone and unarmed,  
he was able to infiltrate the buildings of the Outer Heaven base, arming  
himself with whatever weapons and equipment he could find and rescuing the  
hostages he encountered while trying to locate Grey Fox, his first mission  
objective.  
  
After taking the advice of one of his rescuees, Snake purposely got caught  
by the Outer Heaven soldiers and finally found Grey Fox in a secured cell.  
Though he was captured and at the mercy of his enemies, Grey Fox was cool and  
composed as he explained to Snake the truth behind Metal Gear.  
  
The frightening, terrifying truth.  
  
Metal Gear was a fully armed and armored walking battle tank that could   
traverse any type of terrain. And worst of all, it had the ability to  
launch a nuclear weapon from anywhere on the face of the Earth...  
  
Even with the nuclear arsenal that the world's leading nations possessed,  
there were still limitations on their usage. A weapon that could make a  
nuclear strike from anywhere on the planet and target any location on the  
planet, therefore, would threaten the delicate balance of power and give  
anyone who had it an almost unbeatable advantage on the world stage.  
  
Metal Gear would have to be destroyed.  
  
Grey Fox told Snake that the creator of Metal Gear, Dr. Petrovich, was  
still in Outer Heaven, being forced to work on the death machine for the  
Outer Heaven mercenaries. Grey Fox said that Dr. Petrovich knew how to  
destroy Metal Gear. Snake would have to rescue Dr. Petrovich and find out  
Metal Gear's weak point from him.  
  
And so, Snake broke out of the cell, recovered his equipment, and set out to  
liberate Petrovich. After battling and defeating the top mercenaries of  
Outer Heaven, Snake finally managed to rescue Dr. Petrovich and his   
daughter Ellen. From Dr. Petrovich, Snake learned the location of Metal  
Gear as well as its weakness.   
  
Metal Gear was housed on the hundreth basement floor of the fifth   
building of the Outer Heaven base. This complex was the most heavily  
guarded, and infested with the deadliest traps Snake had encountered.  
  
Almost as if someone knew he was coming...  
  
Deep underneath the complex, Snake finally came face-to-face with the  
Metal Gear TX-55. Armed with the information Petrovich had provided, Snake  
was able to bring down the nuclear-capable monstrosity.  
  
Once he did, the whole place began to come apart. The entire base was about  
to self-destruct.   
  
While attempting to escape, Snake encountered the man responsible for the   
whole crisis...  
  
Big Boss.  
  
Fox-Hound's commander was also the leader of Outer Heaven, planning to use  
the power of the Metal Gear TX-55 to further his own lustful goals. As  
commander of Fox-Hound, he had it so that Grey Fox would be captured, and   
then Snake, Fox-Hound's newest recruit, would be sent in, thinking he would be  
too inexperienced to successfully bring down Metal Gear.  
  
But he was wrong.  
  
And so, Big Boss and Solid Snake engaged in battle deep underneath Outer  
Heaven as the entire base began to crumble; a battle only one would walk  
away from...  
  
Snake made it to the surface just as all of Outer Heaven exploded, with  
Big Boss, beaten and defeated, still inside...  
  
Metal Gear and Outer Heaven had been successfully destroyed.  
  
But the evil lurking in the hearts of men would ensure that Metal Gear   
would rise again...  
  
1999 - Solid Snake  
  
At the time of the Outer Heaven fiasco, nuclear disarmament and a stable   
world peace seemed impossible. But four years later, it looked as if both  
would actually be achieved. All nations with nuclear capability agreed to  
begin dismantling their nuclear weapons at an accelerated scale, and at last  
it seemed as if the people of Earth could look toward the future without   
fear.  
  
But such hopes soon proved to be naive in the extreme.  
  
Around two years earlier, a new nation arose in the Middle East, a nation  
run by military rule and the world's deadliest mercenaries; a regime even   
more ruthless than Outer Heaven.  
  
This was the nation of Zanzibar...  
  
Disdainful of the concept of a lasting world peace, the forces of Zanzibar  
began to raid nuclear arms disposal sites in which the dismantling of  
nuclear warheads and other nuclear weapons was not yet complete. Through  
this, Zanzibar was able to build a nuclear arsenal, the only substantial  
nuclear arsenal now existing in the world.  
  
This alone was a crisis enough in itself, but another disaster was in the  
works.  
  
At this time, the world's supply of oil was beginning to run out. Earlier  
estimates of remaining oil supplies proved to be false. Now the world was  
facing a severe energy crisis with no alternative to oil.  
  
But a scientist from Czechoslovakia, Dr. Kio Marv, made a revolutionary  
discovery that had the potential to solve the latter problem: a genetically  
engineered microorganism, known as OILIX, that could refine crude oil.  
  
However, before he could share his discovery with the rest of the world,  
Dr. Kio Marv was abducted...  
  
By agents of Zanzibar.  
  
Zanzibar now hoped to gain control over the world through their nuclear   
arsenal and the impending energy crisis.  
  
Such a situation needed to be remedied immediately. But with the way the   
nation of Zanzibar was set up, there was only one way to do so while  
averting nuclear holocaust.  
  
A top-secret one man black op.  
  
And for that, a man of insurpassable skill would be needed.  
  
And the man chosen was the man who achieved legendary status after single-  
handedly saving the world from nuclear war once before: Solid Snake.  
  
Colonel Roy Campbell, the man who became the commander of Fox-Hound after   
Big Boss's defeat, called upon Snake, now in retirement, to undertake the   
mission to rescue Dr. Marv from Zanzibar. And so, on Christmas Eve, Snake   
was sent to infiltrate Zanzibar.  
  
Once more, Snake was sent to infiltrate hostile territory with nothing but  
his own clothes, a wireless radio, and a pack of smokes. Once again, Snake  
was able to stealthily sneak into hostile territory while avoiding   
detection by the enemy.  
  
Soon after safely making it into Zanzibar, Snake was contacted by another   
person who would be of invaluable assistance: Holly White, a reporter who  
had snuck into Zanzibar a month earlier in order to gain information.  
  
With the additional help from Holly White, Snake proceeded with his main  
objective: rescuing Kio Marv. But when it seemed that he had found Marv,  
he received an immense surprise, for he had found someone else...  
  
Dr. Petrovich.  
  
The Russian robotologist explained to Snake that he had been kipnapped along  
with Dr. Marv during Marv's trip to the United States. Petrovich then   
provided Snake with additional information of the whereabouts of Dr. Marv.  
  
With the help of Holly White and Dr. Petrovich, Snake continued his mission,  
but soon, Snake was greeted with another shock of surprise, for another  
of his old friends was here in Zanzibar as well...  
  
Grey Fox, one of the few people Snake had met that he had ever called friend.  
  
But he was not here to help Snake. The man who had once been his friend was  
now working for Zanzibar, declaring war on the rest of the world. And   
Fox had the means to do it, for with Dr. Petrovich, Zanzibar was able to  
construct a newer, deadlier incarnation of Metal Gear: the Metal Gear D.  
  
Snake realized he had no choice but to oppose his old friend, and continued  
his mission, all the while being pitted against the most savage, skillful  
mercenaries from all over the globe.  
  
Until finally, he reached the room where Dr. Marv was located. But   
unfortunately he was dead; killed from the relentless torture used in the  
attempt to gain the information of OILIX from him. Dr. Petrovich was there  
as well, leaning over Marv's lifeless body, saying that he had been there,  
and said that he knew Marv had kept the data about OILIX in a the cartridge  
of an MSX game manufactured by Konami ( AN: I'm not kidding here people.   
This is how it was in the game. ) .  
  
Then Snake got a call from Holly. According to the information she had just   
dug up, Petrovich was working willingly with the Zanzibar forces. Hearing   
that he had been found out, Petrovich immediately turned on Snake, leaving  
Snake with no other option but to defeat him.  
  
After recovering the cartridge with the vital OILIX data, Petrovich, with  
his last words, revealed to Snake the sole weakness of the new breed of  
Metal Gear: the legs, being lightly armored, could be destroyed by   
grenades.  
  
Then, suddenly, the floor underneath Snake opened up. He plummeted down  
into the room that housed the new Metal Gear. And from within the horrific  
weapon came a voice...  
  
The voice of Grey Fox.  
  
Snake engaged the Metal Gear D in battle as Fox unleashed all of its weaponry  
upon him; as two men who were once friends now fought the bitterest of  
battles...  
  
Snake was triumphant once more, and the Metal Gear D was reduced to rubble.  
From amid the smoldering wreckage, Fox emerged and stole the cartridge from  
Snake. Snake pursued him into a room laden with mines, and Fox challenged  
him to a one-on-one, hand-to-hand battle to the death. And so, the two  
former comrades again battled fiercely with each other.  
  
And the outcome was Fox laying on the cold metal floor, bloody and badly  
beaten, as Snake looked over him as he uttered his final words. Fox told  
Snake that he had joined the Zanzibar mercenaries because he could not   
survive in a world without war. He needed war to feel truly alive.   
Additionally, he felt obligated to his leader...  
  
As Fox lay dying before the distraught Snake, he felt the sincerest sympathy  
for his old friend, but also vowing to never be like Fox.  
  
Then the other door to the mined room opened up, and a voice beckoned to  
him to proceed  
  
Snake went in, and then came face-to-face with the man who was the driving  
force behind the creation of Zanzibar and all its warlike activities...  
BIG BOSS!!!  
  
Snake's old enemy had survived the destruction of Outer Heaven and was  
now pulling the strings in Zanzibar! His goal: create a world brimming with  
war and conflict so warriors such as he would always have a place.  
  
Snake faced Big Boss once again in battle, for the second and final time...  
  
And in the end, Big Boss, the man who had haunted Snake's nightmares for  
four years, burned to death before his eyes.  
  
And with Big Boss dead, all of Zanzibar would soon fall.  
  
Snake escaped Zanzibar with Holly and soon the two met with Colonel Campbell.  
Using the Colonel's own MSX to examine Marv's game cartidge, they found that  
the cartridge did indeed contain the data about OILIX. The world would now be  
guaranteed a new source of energy...  
  
But once this was discovered, Holly turned to see that Snake was nowhere to be  
found. Confused, she asked Campbell why Snake would leave them.  
  
All the Colonel could suggest was that Snake now felt his place was no longer  
with them.  
  
Little did the Colonel realize that he was right.  
  
For something terrible had happened to Snake...  
  
Snake had now gotten PTSD ( post-traumatic stress disorder ) because of all  
that he had been through during his harrowing missions in Outer Heaven and  
Zanzibar: being betrayed by those he considered his friends, Petrovich and  
Grey Fox, all the fierce battles he had to fight, all the enemies he had to  
kill in cold blood, and worst of all, Big Boss's last-minute claim to him...  
  
The claim that he was Snake's father...  
  
Snake now was plagued with flashbacks of all he had gone through in Outer   
Heaven and Zanzibar, and intense guilt over all the killing he had been forced  
to do. Unable to stay with people, Snake fled to the Alaskan wilderness and  
built himself a house, and there he lived like a hermit, determined to leave  
his days as a soldier...and a killer...firmly behind him.  
  
However, this was not to be...  
  
2002 - Ghost Babel  
  
For nearly three years Snake lived alone in Alaska, far away from the  
battlefields...from all the killing. But even so, Snake was still a prisoner  
of his memories and his guilt, haunted day and night.  
  
And then, distater struck the world once more...  
  
One day, the Colonel, along with a bunch of troops, arrived at Snake's   
Alaskan home, requesting the help of the 'Legend'. A U.S. plane that had  
been heading to South America had been hijacked by terrorists.  
  
And on that plane was the newest model of Metal Gear, the Metal Gear Gander.  
  
Snake was understandably shocked to hear that there was another Metal Gear,  
and the Colonel explained that the U.S. government used data recovered from  
Outer Heaven, hoping to exploit its tactical advantages.  
  
Furthermore, the forces involved with the hijacking with from the African  
nation of Gindra, a small country currently in the middle of an ethnic  
conflict, and had been occupied by U.N. peacekeeping troops. The ethnic  
minority, headed by GLF ( Gindran Liberation Front ) had stolen Metal Gear  
Gander to use it to gain their independence. And even worse, GLF had hired  
some of the world's top mercenaries. GLF and these mercenaries were now  
operating out of an inpregnable fortress called Galuade.  
  
Campbell had come to Snake to ask him to accept the mission to destroy the  
threat of Metal Gear, just as he had done twice before. But Snake refused,  
not wanting to ever be put in a position in which he would have to kill  
again.  
  
Until Campbell revealed where Galuade was...  
  
Built on what used to be Outer Heaven.  
  
Sensing conspiracy, Snake grudgingly accepted the mission.  
  
And once more, Snake went into battle, unarmed and alone, but this time  
better suited. Now he had a new specially designed sneaking suit and a more  
efficient communications device called a Codec. Being dropped off by plane,  
Snake trudged through the African jungle heading for Galuade to follow his  
first order: meet up with members from Delta Force, also assigned to this  
mission.  
  
But once Snake made to the outer premises of the fortress, Snake got a call  
from Campbell: contact with Delta Force had been lost; most likely they were  
wiped out.   
  
But soon after Snake got into the fortress grounds, Snake received a call  
from a survivor from Delta Force, Chris Jenner. She reported that her group  
had been ambushed, by the mercenaries hired by GLF.  
  
When Snake finally met up with her inside the fortress, Chris further   
elaborated on the mercenaries that had decimated her Delta Force comrades:  
they were a professional group known as Black Chamber, who were very good at  
what they did, and were utterly ruthless, especially their leader, the one  
who calls himself 'Viper'.  
  
And these mercenaries Snake would be forced to face in battle as he stealthily  
snuck around the fortress in his efforts to destroy the Metal Gear Gander.  
One by one, he encountered the members of Black Chamber: the Wilgi-wielding  
Slasher Hawk, the night-visioned serial killer Marionette Owl, and the  
flamethrower-toting Pyro Bison. And one by one, he had to fight them, and  
kill them. Once again he had to look upon his handiwork as the life of the  
people he had killed ebbed from their bodies as they took their final   
breaths; looking at three more faces that would haunt him forever.  
  
When Slasher Hawk died, he told Snake of his terrible childhood in the  
Australian tribes, and Owl told him the events that led up to him becoming  
a serial murderer before he died. Both of them, however, hinting at a   
distater that had befallen two years ago, in which they had been dealt a   
terrible injustice.  
  
But when Pyro Bison was struck down, he said nothing about his life.   
Instead, he condemned Snake for all the killing he had done and scoffed at   
him when he said he never wanted any of it. Bison accused Snake of coming   
back to Outer Heaven to continue to kill because that was all he was good   
at.  
  
Then, Bison went on to reveal the truth about Black Chamber: it was a   
subsidiary group of Fox-Hound. Because of Snake's success in his first  
mission to destroy Metal Gear, Fox-Hound had gained worldwide attention,  
making the top-secret assignments the unit had been founded for virtually  
impossible. So a separate group was formed, and that was Black Chamber:  
responsible for all the dirty assignments to defeat anti-American forces  
throughout the world.  
  
And again, mentioned a crime committed two years before...  
  
Forced to continue, Snake eventually made it to the building where Metal  
Gear Gander was held, the research facility. Once again, Metal Gear was  
on the hundreth basement floor...  
  
But before he could face it, he ran into the leader of Black Chamber:   
Black Arts Viper.  
  
Asking what happened two years ago to warrant capturing Metal Gear for use  
as a weapon of vengeance, Viper told Snake the whole story. Two years ago,  
the Gander prototype had been hijacked, and Black Chamber was sent to   
retrieve it. But there were fears within the government that Black Chamber  
now knew too much, and one man known only as 'Anonymous' marked them for   
death, sending Fox-Hound to kill them. Only Viper and a few others survived.  
  
Seeing that Viper was hell-bent on revenge, Snake realized he had no choice  
but to take out Viper too. And so the two battled, with the now-captive  
Chris Jenner's life on the line.  
  
And Viper was beaten.  
  
Now all that remained was to destroy Metal Gear Gander itself.  
  
Snake found it down a long, large passageway, fully active, with the leader  
of GLF standing smugly on top: General Eguabon, taunting Snake, saying that   
he was merely a pawn in the government's little war game. And so, Eguabon   
attacked Snake in the Metal Gear Gander.   
  
One man, against the deadliest, most gargantuan, most powerful incarnation of  
the most horrible weapon created by humankind...  
  
And Snake brought down the monstrosity, turning it into a pile of so much   
smoking scrap metal.  
  
And amid the wreckage, there lay a badly wounded General Eguabon, who told  
Snake the entire story of Outer Heaven, GLF, and the birth of Metal Gear:  
  
Outer Heaven was a U.S. backed program that supplied mercenaries to its   
clients for the purpose of dismantling anti-American forces in Africa and   
around the world. But the field leader of Outer Heaven, Big Boss, broke out   
of the program, planning to use Outer Heaven, and the Metal Gear TX-55, for   
his dream of making the world full of war.  
  
And then, he, Metal Gear, and Outer Heaven were brought down by Snake. In an  
effort to cover up their involvement, the U.S. government handed Fox-Hound to  
the international media and created a hero myth, which resulted in Snake being  
known as the 'Legend'.  
  
But U.S. support to the area of Outer Heaven did not end there. It continued  
on, into what was known as 'Project Babel': provoke an uprising of an ethnic  
minority, create an hostile atmosphere in the region, which would result in  
U.N. troops being sent in for an indefinite stay so that the U.S. could   
exercise control over the region. It was a means to further establish the   
U.S. as the dominant superpower. And it, and Metal Gear, were headed by  
Army Chief of Staff, Parker, who heavily supported GLF.  
  
And with his final moments, Eguabon gave Snake a computer disk that proved  
everything that he had been told; enough evidence to bring down everyone  
involved.  
  
Seeing that the threat of Metal Gear was over, Snake began to leave. But then  
he heard movement atop the remains of the Metal Gear Gander...  
  
Black Arts Viper.  
  
Viper laughed at Snake, gloating that the whole Metal Gear hijacking had  
been staged so that he could learn the true identity of the man who had ordered  
the deaths of his comrades, and also revealed that Campbell had been the one in  
charge of Fox-Hound that night Black Chamber was decimated.  
  
And now, believing, that he had done so, proceeded with his mad plan of vengeance.  
  
It was then that he revealed the true power of the Metal Gear Gander: not only  
was it able to launch nuclear weapons from anywhere on Earth, it also served  
as a means to link up to armed satellites and unleash a nuclear holocaust from  
orbit.  
  
And the remains of Metal Gear were on a cargo elevator, now working its way up  
to the surface, and then, nothing could stop it from initiating a nuclear  
holocaust.  
  
Snake only had ninety seconds to defeat Viper once and for all and stop Metal  
Gear Gander from destroying the world...  
  
And the end result was the complete shutdown of Metal Gear Gander, and the  
final defeat of Black Arts Viper.  
  
Once on the surface, Snake met up with Chris Jenner once more, who had found  
a jeep they could escape Galuade in. And they were about to, when the Codec  
sounded.  
  
It was the Colonel. He explained that he had indeed been in charge of Fox-  
Hound that night. But he had been told that it was a terrorist group; he only  
found out the truth when it was far too late. This was the reason he retired  
from service two years ago suffering from the guilt.  
  
This was part of the reason Campbell accepted the assignment to destroy Metal  
Gear Gander.  
  
Another reason was that a man in the CIA, Steve Gardner, threatened to make it  
look as if he had planned the whole thing if he did not accept.  
  
Then Weasel, a mercenary charged with providing Snake additional support by  
Codec, spoke up, and told the whole truth about the origins of Metal Gear and  
Black Chamber.  
  
Steve Gardner had been DDCI ( Deputy Director of Central Intelligence ) in the  
years before the Outer Heaven crisis. Metal Gear had been under CIA   
development, and Steve Gardner had been the mastermind behind it, Outer Heaven,  
and Project Babel and continued its work even after Outer Heaven was brought   
down. Then when the Gander prototype was stolen two years ago, control of  
the death machine and Project Babel was handed to Army Chief of Staff Parker,  
and Gardner had Black Chamber wiped out to insure their silence. In other  
words, Gardner was 'Anonymous', not Parker.  
  
Worse still, Gardner had staged all the recent events surrounding Metal Gear  
so that he could regain control of the weapon. If GLF ended up using Metal  
Gear Gander, Parker would get the blame because of his longtime aid to GLF,  
and control of Metal Gear would return to Gardner.  
  
Weasel knew all this because he was working for Gardner, and ordered to kill  
everyone involved once the mission was over. But, growing attached to them,  
decided to let them go...  
  
And so, with no more worries, Snake, with Chris, drove off into the sunset,  
with the disk that could bring down Gardner, Parker, and everyone else  
responsible for all the deaths resulting from the attempt to use Metal Gear.  
Feeling in part responsible for all the death and destruction himself, Snake  
vowed to use that information to expose all those involved in the  
conspiracy, feeling it was the least he could do for all the lives destroyed  
by the evil surrounding Metal Gear...  
  
But even this would not make the torment Snake had felt ever since the first  
Outer Heaven mission in 1995 go away...  
* * *  
  
Hikaru and Snake's time as warriors were not yet over. At the time their  
stories were left to dangle in this prologue, their most trying, soul-  
searching, dangerous adventures we know of were still lying before them   
( Magic Knight Rayearth 2 and Metal Gear Solid ) , in which to save   
countless millions, they would have to overcome almost insurmountable  
obstacles...and a shadow of themselves...  
  
But before then, the power that made them the tragic heroes they are will be  
the power that will bring them together, for a mission that will decide the  
course of history of their world...  
  
The fic begins ( hopefully soon ) in Chapter 2. 


	2. What Dreams May Come

Tragic Heroes  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
Chapter 2: What Dreams May Come  
2-24-2003  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
It was just the two of them in that expansive room in that underground base area. He was alone, trapped inside with his most hated nemesis, forced to fight in a duel to the death. But there was a problem. He was unarmed. But his nemesis was not.  
  
And so, he was forced to run, his footsteps reverberating loudly off the metal floor, and the footsteps of his nemesis not far behind. The sound of his heart thumped in his ears as he forced himself to push away the numbing fear that threatened to overtake him.  
  
In the center of the big room, however, was an eight-room complex. He had been in seven of the eight rooms, and had only found a cigarette lighter and ID cards. Now he was standing before the only room he had yet to explore, but directly in front of the doorway was a puddle of sulpheric acid that would mean certain death should he step in it. Hastily, he fished out a container of rations and took out the chocolate bits. He then proceeded to drop the chocolate into the puddle, and watched as the sallow liquid turned into a harmless brown goo. Then, with ID card labeled number five in hand, he opened the door. Inside was an aerosol can of spray paint. Just what he needed.  
  
Exiting the room, his heart pounding, he could hear the footsteps of the nemesis approaching. Quickly, he ran and hid behind a stack of supplies containers, and waited for the nemesis to approach. After a while, he dared to peek from behind the stack of containers, and saw that the back of his nemesis was turned to him, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike. Flicking on the cigarette lighter, he positioned the spray can in front of it, and pressed down on the sprayer. The effect of the spray paint hitting the lighter flame was like that of a flamethrower. The jet of flame struck his nemesis in the back and he howled in pain. The nemesis turned and fired, but he managed to duck behind the supplies containers and avoid the attack. Acting swiftly and expertly, in a way only one such as he could, he emerged from behind the containers again and fired off another volley of flame, once again hitting his target.  
  
Now his nemesis tried to go behind the containers and fire at him there. But he managed to evade the nemesis once more, and sneak up behind the nemesis just as he had attempted to do to him. He fired his makeshift flamethrower at his nemesis again, and this time, the result was his nemesis being engulfed in flames. His nemesis flailed about wildly as the flames ravenously consumed his body, and all he could do was look on helplessly as the consequences of his handiwork unfolded before his eyes. Eventually, the body of his nemesis, still ablaze, collapsed lifelessly onto the cold metal floor, seconds before it burned away completely.  
  
Thus his nemesis was vanquished, leaving him alone in the room. Alone with the horrific memories and gnawing guilt that would stay with him for the rest of his days......  
  
*****  
  
Solid Snake sprang up out of bed, having finally awakened from the nightmare. It took a few seconds to realize that he had been dreaming again. "Damn!" he shouted, annoyed that he had had another nightmare. He noticed he was breathing erratically and that his body was drenched with sweat. Getting out of bed, he walked over the window of his bedroom and opened the blinds. He was greeted with the vision of the dark of night, and the howling of violent, snowy winds. A typical winter night in Alaska, the same kind Snake had become accustomed to ever since coming here almost four years ago. Almost four years after the events he had been forced to relive tonight in his dream.  
  
Even after all this time, Snake was still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder since he completed the mission in Zanzibar. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't shake the memories of what happened, not to mention the gnawing uncertainty: was Big Boss really his father, as he had claimed to be?  
  
Snake thought that his torment would finally end after what happened almost a year ago, his second trip to Outer Heaven. He thought he had finally learned to forgive himself, and thought that by exposing the truth about Metal Gear and bringing down the conspirators, he could put the past behind him and retire happily, knowing that justice would be served. But soon after returning to his Alaskan home, the terrible effects of PTSD reared its head again, plaguing Snake with flashbacks by day and nightmares by night once more.  
  
Slowly and grudgingly, Snake began to make his way to the kitchen. Flicking on the lights, he walked over to his stove and turned on one of the burners, and put a kettle of water on top of it. After a nightmare like that, Snake knew he'd have to calm his nerves if he hoped to have a chance of getting any more sleep. Fortunately, upon coming to Alaska, he had discovered a special herbal tea that helped to soothe his uneasiness. Of course, a single cigarette would have the same effect as his tea, but tonight Snake decided against it. Those things do kill you, after all.  
  
Finally, the tea was ready, and as Snake poured himself some, his thoughts returned to his nightmare. *Was he telling the truth?* Snake thought as he sipped the piping hot tea. *Could Big Boss really have been my father? There's no proof that he was, but, somehow, I don't think he was lying......*  
  
After a while, Snake could feel the calming effects of the tea. Thinking he could finally try to get some more sleep, he made his way back to his bed. As he got back under the covers, he couldn't help but think about the other thing Big Boss had said to him.  
  
*He said I would never be able to stay away from the battlefield, that I'd be a warrior forever,* he thought as fatigue began to overtake him. *Was he right? Damnit, I got called back because there was another Metal Gear. Could it happen again?*  
  
There was no answer to Snake's turbulent thoughts as he began to drift back to sleep. However, he would get his answer soon enough. And no doubt Snake was not going to like it.  
  
*****  
  
The rhythmic hum of the large cargo elevator rang in Snake's ears as it began its ascent to the surface. But that wasn't the only sound to be heard. The taunting mockery of Black Arts Viper echoed all around him as well. "You think that I fight fair?! I'll use any means necessary to get our revenge!"  
  
*Oh God, don't make me go through this again too,* Snake pleaded silently, although he knew no one could possibly hear. *I already know what will happen. Please, don't make me see this again.*  
  
Snake knew exactly what this was. This was his final battle with Black Arts Viper, which took place on the cargo elevator containing the remains of Metal Gear Gander. Snake had been able to stop Metal Gear Gander's nuclear attack, but he had to kill Black Arts Viper to do it. And now, he was being forced to relive that battle in his nightmares. Snake watched helplessly as he began to act independently of his thoughts, going through the exact same motions that he went through during the battle a year ago. He watched as he jumped out from behind a stack of cargo containers and shot Black Arts Viper as he was trying to run.  
  
*No, not again. I can't stand seeing this again.*  
  
With a flash of light, Black Arts Viper disappeared from view, and his booming voice echoed again. "We will have vengeance, no matter what!"  
  
*Oh God, stop it! I can't take any more!*  
  
Snake ran across the elevator platform, desperately trying to spot Viper again. He saw him darting between the large cargo containers again, and aimed his assault rifle and fired. Just like before, Viper vanished in a bright flash, and he yelled out again, taunting Snake. "I won't be beaten! I owe that much to my fallen comrades!"  
  
*No, make it stop! Somebody, anybody, make it stop!!*  
  
Snake heard Viper's footsteps somewhere close behind him. He turned around, only to see Viper facing him with his arm outstrecthed, with some some of device attached to his wrist. Before Snake could react, a sonic wave shot out of the device, knocking him flat on his back. Viper turned to run, but Snake managed to get up and fire his assault rifle at Viper. Once again Snake hit his target, and Viper dropped another flash grenade. "Victory is ours in 65 seconds!"  
  
*I know what happens next. Don't make me see it again.*  
  
65 seconds left to stop Viper for good and shut down Metal Gear Gander's systems. Snake raced around the platform desperately trying to locate Viper. He saw him round a corner and try to run again. Quickly, Snake took aim and fired, expertly hitting the target. Another blinding flash of light soon followed. "I will see vengeance delivered! I have lived for nothing else till now!"  
  
*No, it's almost over. Don't make me see me kill him again.*  
  
Snake instinctively knew that Viper was close to being defeated. He began to run again, trying to find his quarry. Snake spotted him right in front of Metal Gear Gander's remains. Snake aimed and fired, and Viper finally dropped, unable to fight any longer. Wasting no time, Snake climbed atop the wreckage and entered the cockpit, and proceeded to disengage the systems. "I've shut down the controls. There's no way to launch now."  
  
Snake exited the cockpit and climbed down from the wreckage, then walked over to the bullet-ridden body of Black Arts Viper, who was still alive, but barely. "How could I... have been beaten by you?" Viper asked in a weak voice. "Snake, how do you do it?" he continued. "How do you keep fighting....living? For what.... whom.... in the name of what cause?"  
  
*I've asked myself that same question so many times I lost count, and I still have no answer.*  
  
"It's over.... my comrades...... I didn't do right by you all....." Having taken his final breath, Viper's body collapsed with a thud.  
  
"Viper," muttered Snake silently. Although he knew he was nothing more than a deranged madman hellbent on vengeance, Snake couldn't help but feel pity for Viper. Snake then heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He knew who this was; Sophie D'Bram, the GLF second-in-command. At least, if the dream was to follow the events of his second mission to Outer Heaven, that was who it was SUPPOSED to be....  
  
"A tragic end," came a low and droning, yet feminine voice. Whoever it was, it clearly was not Sophie D'Bram. "All this time he let himself be eaten away by hatred and the desire for revenge, leaving you no choice but to finish him."  
  
Snake turned his gaze away from Viper's lifeless body to see just who was talking to him. At first glance, Snake could easily tell it was no one he had ever seen before. It was a very short, elderly woman wearing a white haik that obscured most of her features. Snake wasn't able to make out much of her face, since the hood of the haik cast a dark shadow on her face, but he could see her skin was a tannish color and very wrinked. For a while, she too had been staring at Viper's lifeless form, but soon turned her gaze toward Snake, a look of sorrow and concern in her coal-black eyes.  
  
"Who are you?" Snake demanded, feeling uneasy that the events of the dream weren't going the way they were supposed to.  
  
"Someone who has watched over you for a long time, David," she answered. Snake flinched at the mention of the name 'David'. How did this woman know his real name, when practically no one else did? "Someone who has the utmost respect, and the utmost sympathy, for you."  
  
"Enough!" snapped an extremely nervous Snake. "Just tell me who you are and what you're doing here."  
  
"Forgive me, David," replied the mysterious old woman. "I've neglected to properly introduce myself. My name is Future. And I have come here to bring you urgent, and unpleasant, news."  
  
"Future?" Snake repeated queurulously. "What kind of a name is that?"  
  
The old woman simply grinned. "Actually, for someone in my position, it is a name that suits me perfectly." Seeing as Snake had nothing else to sa to her at the moment, Future continued. "I am - how should I put it - an overseer of time, of history. I am charged with observing historical events and making sure they progress exactly as fate and destiny have dictated," she explained, seeing very clearly from Snake's expression that he didn't really believe her.  
  
"Alright then," said Snake. "So what does that have to do with me?" he asked brusquely. After having to relive two of the most difficult battles of his life tonight, he wasn't in the mood for this weirdness in his dreams too.  
  
"You are one of the most important men in history," she went on. "Metal Gear, as you know, is a terrible evil, and you were fated to be the one to face that evil time and time again," she said, gesturing toward the wreckage of what was once Metal Gear Gander. Snake grimaced, folding his arms and turning his head away from Future. Oh yes, he knew very well that whenever that accursed nuke-launching walking tank fell into the wrong hands, he was always the pawn sent to tidy up the mess. "And now," Future continued, "it is almost time for you to do so once more."  
  
Those words sent a cold shiver throughout Snake's body. His head turned back to face her, a look of shock and disbelief on his face. "What the hell are you talking about?!" he cried. "I destroyed the last one at Galuade a year ago! Not only that, I exposed the conspiracy surrounding it and everyone involved! There can't be another one!"  
  
"I wish that were true, David," said Future, a hint of motherly concern in her voice, "but I'm afraid there IS another one."  
  
"HOW?!" demanded Snake.  
  
"Parker had another one, built in secret, and stashed away at a secret base only he and a few others knew of," explained Future, "and when you exposed everyone involved with the previous crisis, they lost the ability to maintain that base and has become severely neglected. And now, it's only a matter of time before it is...."  
  
"Enough! I've had enough of this crap!" yelled Snake, not believing a word of what this old woman had to say. "This is just a dream. I'm just still shaken up from the nightmares."  
  
"Yes, this is your dream. But I chose to communicate with you in your dreams," said Future. "I see that you won't believe me until I see you in person. Very well. For now, I will leave you be. And at the very least, I can grant you one good night's sleep that you so desperately need." With that, she raised her arms, and a birght flash filled Snake's vision.  
  
*****  
  
Snake awoke to the sensation of sunlight peering through the blinds of his bedroom window. Slowly, he opened his eyes and sat up in bed. He glanced at the clock. 9 A.M., almost seven hours since he had gotten back to sleep. At least he it wasn't interrupted by yet another nightmare.....  
  
Then he remembered the strange dream he had right after he went back to sleep. It had started out as a replay of his final battle with Black Arts Viper, and then there was this weird old lady saying something about another Metal Gear, and how he had to go and destroy it. *Bullshit,* he thought to himself. *It was just some stupid dream. There can't be another one. There just can't.*  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
In another place, in another time, another troubled soul was also having difficulty just getting a good night's sleep. She too was plagued by nightmares every night, forced to relive in grisly detail the killings carried out by her own hands.  
  
Hikaru Shidou tossed and turned in her sleep as the final events of the legendary battle unfolded in her dreams. Once again, she was forced to watch as she, combining her power with that of her friends Umi Ryuuzaki and Fuu Hououji, delivered the punishing blow that finished off Zagato. Then she had to look on helplessly as the three of them carried out Princess Emeraude's assisted suicide - the act that they found out, much to their disbelief, had been the reason they were summoned to Cephiro in the first place. Hikaru winced as she heard Emeraude's final words, thanking the Magic Knights for granting her final wish.  
  
Even worse, Hikaru feared that next, she would be forced to endure the "other" nightmare she had been having recently: being confronted by that shadowy woman whose maniacal voice made her blood run cold. The woman who made allusions to the destruction of Cephiro.  
  
But this time, that didn't happen. Instead, Hikaru found herself in a wide-open space. It took a while for her eyes to adjust and get a good look at her surroundings. It seems to be the middle of the day wherever she was, with the sun high overhead, beating down on her mercilessly. Looking around, she saw she was in an area that looked like some sort of base. She then turned around, and saw a truly perplexing sight. Before her was what seemed to be some sort of wreckage; a pile of twisted and charred metal. Stepping backward to get a better look, she saw that it resembled some sort of robot, like a mecha out of some anime. "What is this thing?" she thought aloud. "And where am I?"  
  
"A military fortress within the African nation of Gindra, eight years in your future," came a voice from behind her. Hikaru spun around to face whoever it was who just spoke to her. It was an small, elderly woman wearing a white haik.  
  
"Who are you?" Hikaru asked nervously, "and what's that thing?" she added, jerking a thumb back at the wrecked machinery behind her.  
  
"My name is Future, an overseer of history, and I have come to deliver an important message," said the old woman. "What is behind you is all that remains of a terrible weapon. A fearsome weapon that will continually threaten your world in your future."  
  
"My.... future?" said Hikaru softly.   
  
"Yes, my dear," replied Future. "Several times in your future, many incarnations of this weapon will threaten to destroy your world. And each time, disaster is narrowly avoided, all because of one man."  
  
"What does this have to do with me?" asked Hikaru incredulously. "Why are you telling me this? To change the future?"  
  
"No," answered Future somberly. "You cannot attempt to do that, not without great risk. Time is very delicate, and to try to alter these events could prove catastrophic. As I said, each time, world destruction was barely averted. To tamper with the delicate balance of time would be to risk that destruction."  
  
Hikaru just stood there for a while, trying to make sense of it all. "Alright then. You said you had a message for me. What is it?"  
  
"Within a year after this time you are seeing, this weapon will resurface. My message is that soon you will be called to fight, to help destroy this weapon again," replied Future.  
  
"WHAT?!" cried Hikaru. After all that she had been through in Cephiro, she wasn't ready to have to fight again on Earth. "Are you saying that I'm going to the future? To fight?"  
  
"I am sorry, but that is exactly what I am saying," answered the old woman, seeing the sense of dread and pain in Hikaru's eyes.  
  
"But why me?" asked a shaken Hikaru. "Why do I have to do this?"  
  
"My dear child, I know you are still suffering from what you experienced in Cephiro," said Future. Hikaru jumped at the mention of Cephiro. How had this woman known about that? Just how much did she know about her? "But you must fight once again," she continued. "This time, for the sake of your own world."  
  
Intellectually, Hikaru knew that if there really was such a threat, that she had a duty to try and stop it. But emotionally, she was still a wreck after what happened in Cephiro, and wasn't about to charge blindly into a battle she knew almost nothing about again.  
  
Evidently, Future caught on to this. "I can see that you are truly disturbed by this," she told Hikaru. "You feel that this is too much like when you were summoned to Cephiro, and fear that hardships lie ahead. I will not lie to you: indeed, this battle will be difficult. But if the future of your world is at stake, are you willing to sit by and do nothing? You were willing to fight for a land you didn't even know existed before you arrived there. Are you saying you are not willing to do the same for your own world?"  
  
"I.... I...." Hikaru tried to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say. This was all just too bizarre. A mission, to save the future? To stop some weapon from destroying the world? "T-this can't be true," she sobbed. "T-this has to b-be a dream....."  
  
"Yes, I am communicating with you in your dreams," Future explained to her. "I came here this way to give you a message, an advance warning. You will not be called yet. For now, I leave you. And grant you one good night's sleep, free of the nightmares." With that, Future raised her right hand, and a bright flash of light enveloped Hikaru.  
  
*****  
  
Hikaru slowly awoke as her alarm clock went off. She lazily reached out to shut it off, then slowly sat up. It was the start of another school week, and she had to get ready.  
  
Then she suddenly remember the strange dream she had, and the message that mysterious woman gave her in that dream. *Could that dream have been for real?* she thought to herself. *Will I really have to fight, for my own world's future?*  
The story continues in Chapter 3  
  
So long,  
Grey Fox 


	3. The Gathering

Tragic Heroes  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
Chapter 3: The Gathering  
3-27-2003  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
For a long time, the only sound Snake had been hearing was that of the thick Alaskan snow crunching underneath his feet. The powerful, biting winds from the previous night could no longer be heard, as they had finally subsided. This gave Snake the opportunity to venture outdoors and chop down a small tree for some firewood. And even with his heavy winter clothes on, the reason why he needed that firewood so badly was painfully apparent; it was FRIGGIN' COLD.  
  
It had taken about half an hour to find a good, suitable tree to cut down. Snake tended to only cut down the small, sickly trees that had no hope of surviving the harsh Alaskan winter, rather than cut down a healthy tree. Still, he had qualms about having to chop down a tree for his own needs. "Hell, I can't even kill a tree without feeling some degree of guilt," he thought aloud.  
  
After chopping down the tree with a hatchet, Snake began dragging it back to his home, the log cabin he had built for himself when he came to Alaska. Wasting no time, he dragged it over to the side of his house and began to chop up the downed tree into pieces small enough for his fireplace. Not only was this getting him the firewood he needed, it was also physical work, which always helped him get his mind off of things. And right now, there was a lot on his mind; specifically, the whacked-out dream from the night before.  
  
*Ridiculous,* thought Snake as he continued to vigorously hack away at the tree. *Some old lady called Future who watches over time? Give me a friggin' break. What's next, psychokinetic soldiers and mystical Inuit shaman?* he thought bitterly. *Me being the destined hero to save the day once again? Ha! What a load of bull.* But as Snake carried on with his work, he couldn't help but think that the woman in his dream was right about one thing: he always seemed to be the one who had to fight Metal Gear. Three times now, it was he, David, who had to play the part of the proverbial David that slew Goliath. In this case, Goliath was that damned nuclear-armed, bipedal death machine.   
  
*That stupid dream must've been my subconscious trying to make sense of how it was always me who had to fight that damn machine, or something,* Snake figured. *Heh, Sigmund Freud would have one hell of a field day psychoanalyzing me, that's for sure,* he thought, a wry smile forming on his face.   
  
Eventually, Snake had finished his task. Tucking four logs under each arm, he made his way to the front door, and, with some difficulty, opened it. *Finally,* he thought, *I can start a fire and get some decent heat in my house.* But once he stepped inside, he dropped the logs out of shock, seeing something that most definitely should not have been there.  
  
It was Future, the mysterious old woman from his dream. She was standing there in the middle of the room, as if she had been waiting for him.  
  
For a moment, the two of them stood there, neither uterring a word. Snake just stared at Future, refusing to believe what his eyes were telling him, refusing to believe the person he had seen in a dream was now standing inside his house. A thought came to him: *Damnit, this is just another dream. It has to be.*  
  
As if she had just read his thoughts, Future spoke. "This is not another dream, David. I told you I would meet you again, in person, face-to-face. And here I am."  
  
Snake shook his head violently, and then buried his face in his hands. *Oh God, I'm must be going crazy,* he thought bitterly to himself. But again, as if she had read Snake's turbulent thoughts, she walked right up to him and spoke.  
  
"Does this feel like the touch of a hallucination, a manifestation of a mind gone mad?" she asked him, reaching out with one tiny, frail hand and grasping his arm. Snake looked at her. Despite the thick winter clothing he had on, he could feel Future's touch through them.  
  
"Alright, so this isn't a dream, and you're not a hallucination," Snake finally admitted. "So why are you here? What do you want from me?"  
  
Taking a deep breath, Future began to explain. "As I told you before, the world needs you again. Metal Gear still remains, and if you don't do something about it and soon..." She let the sentence dangle, knowing full well Snake had a pretty good idea what she would have said if she had continued.  
  
"But why ME?!" Snake bellowed, his loud voice echoing throughout his home. "Why is it me who always has to go through all that?! All that pain and suffering?!"  
  
"I can offer you no concrete answer, David," replied Future, turning from Snake and walking back to where she had previously stood. "All I am in an overseer of history, and an interpreter of what fate and destiny dictate. All I know is that you're the only one who can do this."  
  
Snake then got an ugly, hateful look on his face. "And what if I decide I don't want to go through all that again? What if I just say "Screw destiny" and refuse to take part in this little war game? What then?" he cried vehemently, the anger, and the hurt, apparent in his voice.  
  
"And go back on the words you uttered almost a year ago?" said Future sharply.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked a confused Snake.  
  
"Didn't you yourself agree that instead of running from one's past, one should turn and face it head-on? Didn't you say that you wanted nothing less than the complete destruction of the demons that have haunted you?" replied Future in a biting tone. Snake hung his head low, knowing that Future had pinned him; he indeed had said those things before. Future continued. "Besides, I know you live with a great deal of pain. But how would you feel if disaster strikes the world, and you had to live with the knowledge that you stood by and let it happen? As the old saying goes: 'Evil thrives when good men do nothing.' "  
  
"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! You win, you win!" Snake screamed, throwing up his arms in defeat. But even though he had admitted Future was right didn't mean he was going to like it. Pyro Bison couldn't have been more wrong about him; just because he was almost unbeatable in battle didn't mean that he relished the chance to re-enter the battlefield once again. "But before I agree to do this for you, I need for you to tell me about some of the finer points about this mission."  
  
"Well, at least I've finally convinced you," said Future, a smile forming on her aged, sagely face. "But what exactly do you mean by the 'finer points' ?" she asked.  
  
"For one thing, you talk about me as if I'm some superhero who's always ready to charge blindly into battle. I've got news for you lady, things don't work out that way in real life. The other three times I did this, at least I was briefed about where I was going and what the situation was," Snake explained, not bothering to mention how a lot of information was withheld from him during his past missions, especially during his return trip to Outer Heaven. "Not only that, I didn't exactly work alone. I had backup support, people I stayed in contact with, provided me with information..."  
  
"I will tell you all about the place where the remaining Metal Gear is housed right before you go," spoke up Future, cutting Snake off. "As for the backup support you speak of, I'm afraid you will not have that luxury this time." Seeing the vexed look on Snake's face, she went on. "However, you will be provided with a suitable replacement for that backup."  
  
"And what, exactly, is that?" said Snake queurously, curious as to what Future would say.  
  
"You will have an ally in the field. And she will fight side-by-side with you," she explained to him.  
  
Snake couldn't believe this. This woman was supposed to know all about him, but she must have known he would never agree to this. His mind flashed back to Holly White and Chris Jenner, and how they had been captured by the enemy and almost killed because they had sided with him. And Future had said this ally was a 'she'. "Forget it lady! There was no way I'd allow another woman's life to be put at risk because of me!!" Snake hollered angrily.  
  
"Just trust me on this one, David," said Future, smiling again, "this girl will be perfect for you."  
  
"Why do you say that?" asked Snake bitterly.  
  
"Because, throughout all of history, she is possibly the only one who has suffered like you have," explained Future. "That is why she is meant to fight alongside you in this upcoming battle." Snake was about to protest again, still not convinced, but before he could, Future spoke again. "You're not going just yet. I'll give you about an hour to prepare your mind and body for the task at hand. I've provided you with the necessary items to begin with," she said, pointing to a box at her right Snake hadn't noticed until now. "Until that time comes, I bid you farewell David." And with that, she vanished into thin air.  
  
For a while, Snake stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at where Future had previously stood, his mind trying to register what he had just witnessed. Then his gaze turned to the box Future had pointed out. It was a cardboard box. *Well, it looks like this old lady has a bit of a sense of humor,* thought Snake grimly.  
  
********  
  
Snake paced impatiently around the room, waiting for Future to return. Not that he was exactly eager to get on with what Future planned to have him do, but rather just to get this over with as soon as possible.   
  
His thoughts drifted back to what Big Boss had told him during their second and final battle, about how he said he would never be able to stay away from the battlefields. Snake had to agree it looked like Big Boss was right, but not because he wanted to, but because he really had no choice. Future was right. He would never really be at peace with himself if he knew any trace of Metal Gear still remained. He had to face his destiny.  
  
Snake looked down at himself, inspecting the suit that had been in the cardboard box Future had left behind. It looked suspiciously like the suit Campbell had provided for him a year ago during the mission to Galuade, except that suit had a bit of a blueish-purplish shade to it; this one was solid grey and black. Other than that, it looked and felt the same. Then he reached down to the suit's gun holster and pulled out the gun Future had provided as well; again, very similar to the last handgun he used, and already had a silencer connected to it. At least he wouldn't have to worry about have to procure a silencer on-site, or a gun to attach it with for that matter. Lastly, he reached into one of the suit's many pouches, and pulled out solid proof that Future probably knew all there was to know about him; a pack of Lucky Strikes cigarettes. He put the pack back in his pouch, deeply unnerved of the thought that Future knew so much about him and that all he knew about her was what she had decided to tell him. After being lied to and double-crossed so often, Snake found it extremely difficult to trust anyone. Yet he had already resolved to go along with it anyway, just like he always did. He knew he was very foolish in that respect.  
  
Snake walked into his bedroom to get the one last item that was missing. Reaching into his nightstand drawer, he pulled out his bandana - the same one he had worn during all his previous missions - and promptly fastened it around his head. If he had to fight again, then he'd definitely take one of his most prized possessions with him.  
  
"I see you are prepared to depart," came that now-too-familiar voice from behind him. Snake spun around to see Future standing in the doorway, eyeing him with an expectant look.  
  
"You really have a nasty habit of showing up out of nowhere, you know that? But yeah, I'm ready," replied Snake curtly. "But first, I have some more questions for you," he said, the distrust still evident in his deep voice.  
  
"Very well then, you may ask whatever questions you wish, and I will do my best to answer them," said Future.  
  
Snake still wasn't entirely confident she was telling him everything, but went ahead with the questions he had for her. "First off, tell me about this 'ally' you said you were providing me."  
  
Future smiled and said, "For that, you'll have to wait until you meet her."  
  
"Still being cryptic about her, huh?" asked Snake irritably. "Can you at least tell me if this girl is going to be able to fight? She won't be much help if I constantly have to watch her back."  
  
"Trust me on this, David: her combat skills are every bit up to par with your own, and she has powers the likes of which you have never seen," explained Future.  
  
"Powers?" Snake repeated dubiously. "Care to tell me what you mean by 'powers'?"  
  
"You'll see..." Future began, but Snake cut her off.  
  
"When I meet her," Snake finished for her. "It's pretty obvious you won't tell me anything else about her. So why not tell me about just where the hell you're sending me to do history's dirty work?"  
  
"As I've told you already, there is a secret base Parker had where he and those loyal to him had constructed another Metal Gear," stated Future. Snake wasn't surprised to hear that Parker did something like this, judging from what Weasel told him about the corrupt, unscrupulous tactics that both Parker and Gardner used in their private little war - the private little war he got stuck in the middle of a year ago. "The base is located in the Philippines," continued Future, "within the Sierra Madre mountain range of Luzon, the northernmost island of the nation. You'll have to find your way in there and neutralize Metal Gear, like you've done before."  
  
"Secret base in the Philippines, huh? Anything else I should know about this place?" asked Snake impatiently.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you any more. It's beyond my jurisdiction to do so," replied Future.  
  
"Yeah, whatever," snapped Snake, seeing he wasn't going to get any more out of Future about the base either. "Next, how am I supposed to get to this damn base? You got a plane I can use to skydive down into the mountain range? Or did you have something else in mind?"  
  
"We have no need to undergo such an elaborate procedure," said Future with a gleam in her eye. "I shall take you there. Directly." With that, she walked toward Snake and reached out with her hand, taking Snake's in hers.   
  
All of a sudden, a cold, clammy sensation swept over Snake, causing him to involuntarily shut his eyes tightly and grit his teeth. But as quickly as it took hold of him, that clammy feeling left him. Snake opened his eyes, at once noticing he was no longer in his Alaskan home, but instead, he now stood on a worn path in some mountainous, forested area. There was no hint of the fierce, wintry air of Alaska; rather, the air was quite warm. Snake had a hunch that this was the Sierra Madre, the mountain range in the Philippines where Future had told him his objective lay.  
  
Snake looked down at Future, who had let go of his hand and backed away slightly from him. "So you teleported me here, huh? Mind giving me a little warning next time?" said Snake irritably.  
  
"My apologies, David," said Future calmly. "But now, I'm afraid you must begin your difficult task."  
  
"One more question though," said Snake quickly before Future had a chance to teleport away. "Why can't YOU do this yourself? You obviously have the power to. Why not use it to destroy Metal Gear yourself and spare me all this trouble?"  
  
"That too, unfortunately, is beyond my jurisdiction," replied Future sadly. "I cannot affect events directly in such a manner, only guide those whose duty it is to affect history when there is need to, such as in this instance. Now David, you must begin, and I must depart, to fetch the ally who shall fight beside you." And with that, Future vanished again, leaving Snake alone.  
  
"Damn!" yelled Snake, his shout echoing around him and scaring a few birds that were perched in a nearby tree. Snake chided himself as he watched the birds fly away; if he was going to get rid of this Metal Gear, he'd have to work silently and unseen like he always had before.  
  
And the reason why made itself apparent relatively quickly. Snake could hear the sound of noisy footsteps approaching, as well as voices. Acting on instincts honed by years of experience in the battlefield, Snake deftly ducked behind a large tree along the footpath, where he would be out of sight of anyone who walked by.  
  
As Snake patiently waited in that spot, he could hear the footsteps getting nearer, and the voices soon became intelligible. Snake listened attentively to what they were saying, hoping to possibly acquire some useful information.  
  
"I'm tellin' ya, I heard SOMETHING around here!!" boomed a voice with a thick redneck accent.  
  
"I agree. I'm certain I heard something too," came a second voice, this one with some sort of Asian accent Snake couldn't quite put his finger on. Snake's heartrate and breathing involuntarily picked up, fearing that he may be discovered already.  
  
"Oh please, you two. Give me a break," came a third voice, this one with a heavy French accent. "Like anyone is going to come here. Hardly anyone knows about this place."   
  
*Well now, so there IS something here someone doesn't want the world to know about,* thought Snake acidly as he heard the disgruntled groans of the other two people. Snake peered out from behind the tree, seeing three people in camouflage uniforms armed with M-16s, and they all had pouches at their sides filled with what Snake was certain were fragmentation grenades. Obviously, these three heavily armed men were here patrolling the area, fiercely guarding something. And thanks to Future, Snake had a good idea what it was.  
  
The sound of an exploding rush of air pierced the silence Snake was trying to stealthily maintain. Once again, he heard the man with the southern accent speak. "Damnit, there's that sound again!"  
  
"Fine, I'll go back and check it out," came the voice of the French-accented guard who had been skeptical before. "You two keep looking around here," the guard ordered before Snake heard footsteps going back in direction they came from earlier.  
  
Once Snake heard the remaining two guards walk away in the opposite direction of their comrade, he breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for whatever sound had distracted them. But that relief was short-lived, as Snake's mind quickly registered the significance of what one of the guards had said: the second sound that had just alerted the guards was THE SAME as the one that had brought them to his location. And Future said she had gone to get this girl who was supposed to accompany him. That sound was probably her being teleported here. *DAMN!* thought Snake furiously as he ventured into the forest, heading to where he had heard the strange whooshing sound.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Hikaru stepped out of her house, gazing at the beautiful sunrise. She haad decided to get up early so she could get to school quickly to study for that algebra exam she had today, since she still wasn't confident she was prepared enough, even with Fuu's extensive tutoring. Forcing herself to calm down, she breathed in a lungful of fresh air and basked in the morning sunlight.  
  
She was distracted by the barking of her beloved dog, Hikari. Hikaru looked down to see her good friend staring up at her with those adorable eyes that always managed to cheer her up. And that was something Hikaru still desperately needed, especially after that strange dream from three days ago that had really shaken her up. She knew that what was said in that dream probably wasn't true, but it still bothered her for some reason.  
  
Hikaru bent down and began to pet Hikari, who then came closer to Hikaru's face to lick her cheek, like she always did whenever she felt Hikaru was in need of comforting. "Good morning Hikari," mumbled Hikaru, hugging her dog closer to her.  
  
But then, Hikari's head shot up and looked around, and she emitted a low growl. For a moment, Hikaru wondered if she was mad at her about something, but she knew that couldn't be the case; the two loved each other far too much to ever be mad at each other. Evidently, it was something nearby that was disturbing Hikari, for she dashed away from Hikaru and into the nearby woods, barking at something. "Hikari, what is it?" Hikaru asked curiously, taking off after her dog.  
  
Despite being in such good athletic shape, Hikaru had trouble following Hikari as she darted through the forest. When she finally caught up to her, it was because she had stopped. She was sitting, wagging her tail and looking up at someone. Hikaru almost had a heart attack when she saw who it was: the mysterious woman from her dream that had called herself Future. The old woman reached down and stracthed behind Hikari's ears, who growled in appreciation. "You have a very loyal friend here, Hikaru," said Future solemnly.  
  
Hikaru stared blankly at the elderly woman, unable to believe what her own eyes were telling her. "A-Are... are you..." she stammered, barely able to form the words, "are you r-really... the person I saw in my dream?"  
  
"I most certainly am," said Future in a very matter-of-fact way, turning from Hikari to face her.  
  
"And are you really going to take me to the future, like you said before?" Hikaru asked.  
  
"Again, you are correct, my dear child," replied the elderly woman. "Like I said before, your future is in serious jeopardy, and you will be needed to save it."  
  
"Listen, I don't want to be rude or anything," said Hikaru hastily, still not fully accepting what Future was telling her, "but I can't just rush into a battle I know nothing about. A fight I'm not prepared for."  
  
"You are afraid you'll regret your actions, just like you regret what happened in Cephiro," Future responded earnestly. "I won't lie to you; what you have to go through will be difficult. But you will have to perservere; millions of lives depend on it. And I can prepare you. For one thing, I can return to you the powers you had while in Cephiro."  
  
"Y-you can give me back my magic?" asked a confused Hikaru.  
  
"Yes, my dear child, I can make it so you can use your magic here on Earth," said Future. "You will be able to use the two magic spells you wielded before, and you'll have the armor and sword you had before. And I'm allowed to tell you that you'll even develop a third magical power you didn't have before, and this new power will become crucial to completing your quest. I can also prepare you in subtler ways that'll become apparent the further you progress in your mission. But unfortunately, the one thing I cannot do for you is give you the ability to re-summon your Mashin, Rayearth. It would be so fitting if a robot that is the embodiment of everything that is dark and evil in the human heart was destroyed by a robot-like entity controlled by one of the purest hearts ever to exist," stated Future with a smile.  
  
"Robot?" repeated Hikaru. "You mean that wrecked thing you showed me in my dream?"  
  
"Precisely. It's a bipedal, armored tank capable of launching a nuclear weapon from anywhere on the planet." Hikaru shuddered upon hearing this, vividly recalling history classes that taught how her own country was once the victim of a nuclear attack. "There is another one that needs to be destroyed," Future continued, "and you have to help make sure that happens."  
  
Hikaru then voiced another concern she had. "What about Umi and Fuu? It's their future at stake too. Can't they come with me?"  
  
"They cannot accompany you this time," Future said, shaking her head. "However, you won't have to fight this battle alone. You will have an ally in the field, someone who I'm sure you'll be able to trust and work with effectively."  
  
"What makes you say that?" asked Hikaru, wondering just who this 'ally' could be.  
  
"Because he is probably the only other soul in all of history who has suffered as you have," stated Future in a sad tone. "Plus, he is the one that has faced this threat before - or rather from your point of view, WILL face this threat, since in your present time, none of the incidents involving Metal Gear have happened yet. But on this specific occasion, he'll need help, and fate has decreed you will be the one to provide it."  
  
"Who is he?" asked Hikaru queurolously. "What's his name?"  
  
A sad smile formed on Future's face. "I don't need to tell you his name. Trust me, with your gift of empathy, you'll know it's him from the moment you first see him," said Future. "Now come, my dear child, it is time to depart." Future then reached out with her hand and grabbed Hikaru's. All of a sudden, a cold chill shot down Hikaru's spine, and felt as if icy cold air was enveloping her, forcing her to painfully screw her eyes shut. Soon enough, however, the Hikaru felt the sensation fade away, and she opened here eyes, immediately noticing her surroundings had changed. She still stood within a forest, but the vegetation around her was quite different. She looked up, noticing that the sky was different too; before it had been clear and cloudless, and now opaque, greyish clouds filled the sky. As Future let go of her hand and backed away, Hikaru looked down at herself, noticing that the same armor Clef had provided at the beginning of her journey in Cephiro was now being worn over her school uniform. "As I said earlier, I can provide you with your magic, weapon, and armor, as well as some other things, which you'll notice as you progress," continued Future.  
  
"Where am I?" asked Hikaru breathlessly as she looked around, still nervous and surprised. "What is this place?"  
  
"The place where your quest begins, Hikaru," replied Future. The Sierra Madre mountain range in the Philippines. Now, I am not permitted to guide you any further. I must depart. I wish you luck, Hikaru Shidou." And with that, she teleported away, leaving Hikaru alone with her own turbulent thoughts. She looked down again, this time noticing that she was standing along a worn footpath that cut through the forest she now found herself in.  
  
*I guess I should head along this path, and see where it takes me,* Hikaru logically decided. *But there are two ways to go. How am I to know which way leads to wherever I'm supposed to.....*  
  
"DON'T MOVE!" boomed a loud voice from behind her.  
  
Hikaru yelped at the sound of the loud voice, but after she got over her surprise, she noticed something funny about the language of the words that had just been spoken to her. It was not in Japanese, but instead, from what Hikaru could tell, it was in English. Yet, miraculously, she could understand this guy as easily as if he had spoken Japanese.  
  
"Now hands in the air, and turn around. Slowly," the voice commanded. Forcing herself to put aside the confusion resulting from being able to understand a language she didn't know, she did as she was told. Once she had turned around, she saw a man clad in a camouflage army uniform, pointing a very menacing-looking gun at her. *Well, whoever this 'ally' I'm supposed to meet is, it's certainly not him,* thought Hikaru bitterly.  
  
"All right, you," snapped the man, "I want to know who the hell you are, and what you're doing here."  
  
"M-My name is Hikaru, and I-I don't know how I got here," stammered Hikaru, her voice catching in her throat as she did so. Not only could she now understand English, but she could speak it as easily as she spoke Japanese! *How is this possible?* Hikaru asked herself, momentarily forgetting there was someone pointing a gun at her. Then she remembered how Future said she had prepared her in 'subtler ways'. *I guess making it so I could understand and speak English was one of them,* Hikaru deduced.  
  
"Bullshit!" yelled the armed guard. "No one bothers coming to this area of the mountains. Now you better...."  
  
The guard never managed to complete his last sentence, for he lapsed into unconsciousness and collapsed onto the ground. For a few seconds, Hikaru stared at his unmoving body, wondering why he had suddenly collapsed. She then looked up to see that there was another man standing behind the fallen body. But this one was much different: he wore some sort of dark grey body suit with thick, black, muscle-molded body armor covering his chest. Her eyes turned to what this new guy was holding: a simple handgun, which Hikaru guessed he had slammed into the back of the guard's head to knock him unconscious. She then looked at his face, and for some reason she couldn't understand, she was totally fixed on his face. The man had thick, short brown hair and wore a black bandana. But what Hikaru really found compelling were his eyes; eyes that seemed to hold of world of hurt, eyes belonging to a man that had suffered for a long time. She'd seen the same look in Umi and Fuu's eyes countless times after they had returned from Cephiro, only for this man, it seemed far far worse. If what Future said about how she would spot her companion was true, than this was unmistakably him. And what this mysterious man said next provided the final bit of proof she would need.  
  
"You're the one?" he asked. "The one that old lady called Future sent?"  
  
Hikaru stared blankly at him for a few seconds, once again overcome with surprise. "Y-Yes, that's me. My name is Hikaru," she said after a lengthy period of time.  
  
"Solid Snake," he replied briskly. "Now that we got the indroductions outta the way, let's get the hell outta here before anyone else finds us."  
  
"Too late for that, Mr. Legend!" came a loud voice from being him; a voice with what Hikaru recognized to be a Korean accent.   
"You're not going anywhere, except maybe straight to hell, Snake!" came a second voice. "Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air. Same goes for the little girl over there!" he rudely commanded.  
  
*Well, this is certainly a fine way to start off,* thought Hikaru sarcasticly. But then, Hikaru realized she had one option left to her to take out the two guards. It wouldn't be pretty, but it was their only shot. Besides, this guy, this... 'Snake', had just saved her tail. *Now, I guess it's my turn to return the favor.* She spoke to Snake in a low whisper so that only he would hear her. "Listen, when I yell 'now', drop to the ground," she whispered to him. Seeing the dubious look on his face, she added, "Just trust me." Snake then nodded his head in silent approval.  
  
"I ain't got all day, damnit!" blasted the second voice again. "Now, drop your gun and kiss the ground, or...."  
  
"NOW!!" screamed Hikaru, and Snake immediately dropped down. Then, before either of the guards could react, Hikaru shrieked out "FLAME ARROW!" , launching her fire spell. The blast of super-hot flame passed harmlessly over Snake and slammed right into the two guards. A pair of blood-curdling screams told her that she had hit her target.  
  
Snake picked himself up off the ground and looked back at the two guards. "Just what the hell was that?!" he demanded, and looked back at Hikaru.   
  
But Hikaru was in no condition to answer; she stared at the bodies of her victims, tears forming in her fiery red eyes. They were horribly charred, and neither of them were moving. They were dead. She had meant to only incapacitate them, not to kill them. She hadn't used her magic for so long, and being so out of practice, she miscalculated the strength of her spell.  
  
"Listen, get a hold of yourself," Snake snapped, grabbing her by the arm. "Believe me, I know how you feel, but this fire's gonna attract more unwanted attention. We need to move, and now!"  
  
Hikaru nodded wordlessly, still greif-stricken over unwittingly killing two people. Before, she had faced vicious monsters that were the manifestations of the fears of Cephiro's people, and had little problem with using her powers on them. She hadn't expected her spell to be so deadly to ordinary humans, and she half-expected them to dive out of harm's way. She didn't think that...  
  
"This way," said Snake, still holding her tightly by the arm as he took off. Hikaru hurriedly followed along, as the two began their mission to ensure the safety of their world.....  
  
The adventure continues in Chapter 4.  
  
So long,  
Grey Fox 


	4. Infiltration

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 4: Infiltration  
  
4-08-2003  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
Deep within the base, within the confines of the "Sierra Outpost", as the builders of the base had called it, there was a single room set apart from all the others. And from that room came the voices of the men and women now in charge of the base. And none of them sounded too pleasant.  
  
"Are you sure it's him?" said a low, yet feminine, voice with a thick Portuguese accent. "There could have been some sort of mistake."  
  
"No mistake," came another voice, this one a man's with a heavy Arabic accent. "He had been knocked down, but was still conscious. He heard his comrades refer to his assailant as "Mr. Legend" and "Snake". No doubt about it, it's him."  
  
"Good thing that guard managed to report to us about this," muttered another voice, this one a man's with a German accent. "Guess we shouldn't be too surprised. Wherever there's a Metal Gear, that fool is sure to follow."  
  
"But the question is, how does he know about this one?" asked a fourth voice - a woman's that had a British accent. "No one knows about this base, or has any idea what we're doing here for that matter."  
  
"We'll have to worry about that later. His mere presence endangers everything," said the man with the Arabic accent. "But what concerns me also is this new mysterious girl the Legend seems to have befriended."  
  
"Do you really think she's some sort of pyrokinetic, like the guard said?" asked the woman with the Portuguese accent.  
  
"I have no reason to doubt him. I trained him myself, and I know he wouldn't make up such a tale," the Arabic-accented man replied.  
  
"I have an idea," said the British-accented woman. "I could use one of my little, err, pet projects to test the abilities of this unknown entity. It could let us gauge her power..."  
  
"See to it. But after we assess this woman's power, I want her and Snake confronted, and the threat they pose neutralized." There was a long pause. "My good friends, are you up to the task?"  
  
"You betcha, boss," came a voice with an American accent, which sounded like it belonged to a black man.  
  
"We'd be more than happy to," replied a second voice, this one identical to the first.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Hikaru felt as if she and Snake had been running along the footpath for hours, although she knew in reality it had only been a few minutes. As they continued running, Hikaru picked up on other telltale signs that she was definitely not in Tokyo anymore. For one thing, it had been sunrise when she had woken up; now the sun was setting, and darkness was covering everything like a thick blanket. Just like the thick grey clouds that loomed overhead; back in Tokyo, it had been a clear and sunny morning. And now, a light drizzle was coming down from the sky, lightly soaking her hair and her jacket.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Snake stopped under a tree to shield them slightly from the rain. Hikaru followed suit, and Snake released the tight grasp he had on her arm. As Hikaru rubbed the area on her arm Snake had been holding, he spoke to her in a low, serious tone. "Okay, I think we're out of danger for now."  
  
"That's good," said Hikaru. "Ummm, Snake wasn't it? Can I ask you something?"  
  
"What is it?" answered Snake brusquely.  
  
"Umm, exactly what day is it?"  
  
Snake looked surprised, but still answered her. "Well, it's October..."  
  
"No, that's not what I meant," interrupted Hikaru. "What I meant to ask was what YEAR."  
  
This time the feeling of surprise was much more evident on Snake's face. "It's the year 2003," he answered her.  
  
Now Hikaru's eyes were wide open with surprise. "Oh my God, she wasn't kidding," Hikaru muttered under her breath, turning away from Snake. "She really did send me to the future."  
  
"'She'? You mean that old lady called Future," said Snake.  
  
"Yeah, her," replied Hikaru in a shaky voice. "She sent me nine years into the future. She said I had to come and help you destroy this big robot called...."  
  
"Metal Gear," Snake finished for her. "So, you're really travelled in time from nine years ago, huh?" asked Snake. Hikaru simply nodded. "I have to admit, when I first saw you, I couldn't believe a little girl was supposed to be the one fighting alongside me." Hikaru felt a small surge of indignation at being called a 'little girl' in such a manner. But before she could say anything, Snake spoke up again. "But with that power you used back there, well, I guess having someone with pyrokinesis around could be pretty handy."  
  
"Pyrokinesis?" repeated Hikaru, wiping away some of the water on her face that had trickled down through the leaves of the tree. "Oh, you must mean my fire magic."  
  
"Fire magic?" repeated Snake dubiously, obviously not ready to believe that what Hikaru had used to subdue to two guards was actually magic. "You mean you're somekind of sorceress, huh? How'd you get that power?"  
  
"Well, it's a long story," said Hikaru.  
  
"Right now, we're in no rush." Snake shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the tree, folding his arms. "So let's hear it. Hikaru, isn't it? What's your story?"  
  
Hikaru decided to go ahead and satisfy Snake's curiousity, and gave him an abridged version of the events she and her two friends went through in Cephiro. The whole time, Snake stared at her as she told him her story, taking it all in. His face didn't betray any feelings or emotion; that is, until she got to the part about the final fight with Zagato and then Princess Emeraude, and how those killings caused her so much guilt and pain. That seemed to strike a chord in his heart.  
  
"And that's about it," said Hikaru, having finished explaining to Snake how she had become the legendary Magic Knight of Fire. "I've been trying to deal with what I did after that, and now, I get summoned here with you."  
  
"I have one thing to say about this: when Future told me what you went through was a lot like what I've been through, she wasn't kidding," said Snake, a genuinely sorrowful look etched on his face. He may have not been the most emotional man in the world, but he truly felt pity for Hikaru, especially since he indeed knew what she was going through.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" asked Hikaru curiously. "Why don't you tell me your story now?"  
  
"THAT'S an even LONGER story, and it's not a good idea for us to stay in one spot for too long. We'd better get moving again." With that, Snake walked out from under the tree and into the rain, gesturing for Hikaru to follow him.   
  
Hikaru did just that. But then, something occured to her. "Snake, are you sure we're heading the right way? I mean, to wherever this Metal Gear thing is?"  
  
"Well, the guards we saw before were coming from opposite the direction we're heading, and since they were alerted by the sounds we made, I figured they were coming from whatever they were guarding," explained Snake. He knew his logic was kind of fuzzy - in reality, he had no idea where the hell he was going - so he decided to change the subject. "Listen up now. I'm going to tell you all about Metal Gear and how I've always been involved with that goddamn machine. It's important that you know exactly what you're up against." And so, as the two continued walking, Snake launched into his long life story, telling Hikaru about how he first faced the Metal Gear TX-55 in Outer Heaven, how he had to deal with the Metal Gear D and Big Boss in Zanzibar Land, and his return trip to Outer Heaven where he fought Black Chamber and the Metal Gear Gander.  
  
Hikaru was even more unsuccessful than Snake when it came to hiding her shock. This had to be, without a doubt, the saddest story she had ever heard. This Solid Snake really was as troubled as her. What's more, the true gravity of what the future would hold for her and friends hit her like a large wooden mallet. Sure, she wasn't totally naive and blind to the world around her. She remembered the Persian Gulf War from a few years back, and there had been some troubles within her own government lately, but they were nothing compared to this. A weapon of terrible power born out of a nuclear arms race and war games run amok? The thought scared her half to death.  
  
"So, that's basically it," said Snake, finishing his story. They had walked a considerably long distance, and now the sun had almost completely set, and darkness surrounded them. Thankfully, it was almost a full moon, so they still had some light. "And now, according to this Future lady, there's another one around her somewhere, and....."  
  
"We're going to destroy it!" interrupted Hikaru, a look of determination on her face. "There's no way I'm going to let a weapon like that be used if I can help it!"  
  
"Quiet," spat Snake vehemently. He didn't mean to be so gruff, so he quickly apologized. "Look kid, I admire your resolve, but you're gonna have to keep it down. We can't just...."   
  
Snake's voice trailed off as he heard the voice of someone else calling out. "Hey! Who's there?!" came a loud shout, followed by the sweep of a flashlight.  
  
"Aw crap. Hide!" muttered Snake under his breath. Grabbing hold of Hikaru, he ran over to an area with extremely tall grass and threw himself onto the ground and Hikaru along with him, letting the tall grass shield them from anyone else's view. "Now keep quiet, and wait for this guy to walk away," Snake ordered Hikaru in a whisper. Hikaru just nodded, afraid to make even the slightest noise. She just laid there and waited like she was told.   
  
Eventually, Snake got up and softly said, "Okay, I think he's gone. Try not to make so much noise from now on, or else we might be discovered." Again, Hikaru just nodded in approval. "Wait here a minute," he told her, and walked out of the patch of tall grass, looking back along the path the guard had approached from. The path led into a densely forested area. Snake got an idea. Walking back over to the grass, he told Hikaru, "Okay, I've got an idea. I think we can tail that guy, and he'll lead us to whatever he's guarding."  
  
"Do you think he'll lead us to Metal Gear?" Hikaru asked, getting up and brushing the bits of dirt and grass off her clothes.  
  
"It's our best chance," replied Snake. "C'mon, let's go. Just follow my lead, and you'll be fine." Snake then took off into the forest, Hikaru following close behind. Snake and Hikaru were careful not to let the guard see them, oftentimes having to duck behind a corner to avoid being spotted when the guard turned around to make sure he wasn't being followed. For Snake, this brought back memories of tailing that guard with the green beret in the jungles of Zanzibar, and for Hikaru, it made her vaguely recall navigating the Forest of Silence.  
  
After what seemed like ages, Snake peeked from behind the tree he was hiding behind to see the guard had finally reaching the exit of the forested area. Not only that, he could also see the dim outline of some sort of building. *At last, a place to possibly find some clues and get better weapons,* Snake thought to himself. Turning to Hikaru, he said, "Okay, there's some sort of building over there. Let's go for it, but try to keep silent."  
  
"All right Snake. Let's do this," replied Hikaru, a devious smile forming on her lips.   
  
*She's really serious about doing this,* thought Snake. Out loud, he said, "Let's move." And then the duo carefully exited the forest and headed towards the structure. Snake could see what looked like an entrance to the building, but something in his peripheral vision got his attention. He turned around to see what it was. "Hikaru, wait," said Snake, holding his arm in front of her and bringing her to a halt.  
  
"What is it?" asked Hikaru, curious about why Snake stopped heading for the building.  
  
"There's a couple trucks parked around here," Snake answered her. "During previous missions there was usually something useful left in them. Let's check them out."  
  
And they did so. Snake climbed into the back of the truck closest to him and began searching for any items that would be of use to him and Hikaru. "Find anything?" asked Hikaru from the outside of the truck, keeping a lookout for any guards patrolling the area.  
  
"Yeah, I sure did," said Snake as he got out of the truck and held up what looked like two small, disk-like metal containers. "Field rations," stated Snake, noticing the confused expression on Hikaru's face. "Here, we'll each take one," he said, putting one of the ration packs in one of his storage pouches and handing the other to Hikaru.   
  
"Let's check out the other truck," said Hikaru as she stuffed her ration pack in her jacket pocket. Snake and Hikaru then silently made their way to the other truck, and Snake climbed into the back, once again looking for items.  
  
Hikaru could hear Snake mutter, "Damn, nothing," from inside the truck. Then a sudden inspiration struck Hikaru. She walked up to the front of the truck and opened up the driver's side, conducting her own search for anything useful. Something caught her eye that seemed out of place; a small, white, plastic card with a big number '1' on it. She snatched it up and started to walk over to the back end of the truck, only to painfully bump into Snake. "Where the hell did you go?" she heard Snake ask her.  
  
"I was looking for stuff to, and I found this," Hikaru quickly replied, holding up the card she had found. Hikaru couldn't be sure because it was so dark, but she thought she saw a faint smile form on Snake's face.  
  
"Good work. That's a key card, and we'll probably need it," said Snake, snatching up the key card. "C'mon let's get inside that building now."  
  
After a bit of searching, Snake found a doorway. But the electronic door refused to open. "Guess I'll need that key card," he said as he took the card out.  
  
"Don't you think it's funny, how there seem to be no guards around here now?" asked Hikaru, who was nervously looking around, as if she was anticipating some sort of attack.  
  
"Yeah, I noticed that too," answered Snake as he slid the key card through the electronic lock. A red light flared on the lock. "Damn!" snapped Snake. "We'll need a higher level card to get in."  
  
"Ummm, Snake, I think we have other things to worry about," said Hikaru in a shaky voice. "We've got company."  
  
"What?" said Snake as he turned around to see what Hikaru was taking about. And immediately saw she was right. Standing twenty or so meters away from them was something looked like the original version of Metal Gear, but there was something funny about it. This one was way too small - only about three meters in height, and some of the heavier armaments Snake remembered seeing on the TX-55 and D were not on this one. But their mystery guest had a vulcan gun and a machine gun, which were aimed right at Hikaru and Snake. Yet, for some reason, the mini-Metal Gear was not attacking, but instead, just stood there, as if it was waiting for something.  
  
"W-What is it?" asked Hikaru, nervous sweat mixing in with the moisture from the rain. "It looks like it's... watching us."  
  
"I've heard of it. I think it's one of the smaller versions of the original Metal Gear; the Gustav, if I remember right. I've never seen one though," answered Snake. "Damn, I don't have any weapons that can stop this thing!" he spat heatedly. "If only I had found some mines and grenades in those trucks, then maybe I could go for the legs and...."  
  
"You won't need that," spoke up Hikaru, filled with a fierce determination. "I've still got my magic. Flame Arrow!" Last time, Snake didn't have a good look at Hikaru's fire spell, but this time, he was able to see exactly what Hikaru's magic could do. The super-hot stream of fire shot forward and struck the Gustav head-on. The machine stumbled backward slightly from the impact, but once the flames died away, there were no signs of external damage. "What? My magic didn't work?!" she stammered.  
  
"It's armor must be too strong. Hikaru, move! It's gonna attack!" Snake shouted, hearing the clicks and clacks that could only mean Gustav was prepping its guns. Snake rolled to the right, while Hikaru dove to the left. They were just in time; Gustav fired both its guns, the bullets noisily striking the door and walls of the building.  
  
"Snake, hide somewhere. I'll handle this," said Hikaru, drawing her sword from her glove jewel. Snake stared for a second, since he hadn't seen Hikaru do that before, but then quickly ran to find some sort of cover. He didn't like the idea of leaving Hikaru to face Gustav alone, but without the necessary weapons, it was useless for him to try and fight.  
  
Hikaru, sword held tightly in both hands, charged toward the mini-Metal Gear. Once she was withing a few meters of it, it opened fire again. But Hikaru anticipated this and deftly rolled to the side, avoiding the deadly barrage of bullets. Before the Gustav could turn and fire on her again, Hikaru leapt forward and swung her sword upwards at the mounted machine gun, the Escudo weapon slicing through the metal like scissors cutting paper. The mutilated weapon fell into a puddle nearby, splattering Hikaru with water and mud.  
  
Hikaru quickly backflipped away, trying to put some distance between her and the Gustav, but it was already advancing again, firing its remaining weapon. Thanks to reflexes honed by years of kendo training, she was able to avoid the barrage, but she knew she couldn't evade the machine forever. *How am I going to beat this thing?* she thought worriedly. Then she heard something: the sound of an engine starting up. A few seconds later she saw one of the trucks ram into the side of the Gustav at full speed. The impact was just enough to cause it to topple over. Snake jumped out from the driver's seat of the car, and it looked like he was unharmed. *Thank God,* thought Hikaru. If she had to finish this mission alone....  
  
"Hikaru! Try hitting it again!" Snake ordered Hikaru. Hikaru obeyed the command without a second thought.  
  
"Ruby Lightning!" Hikaru fired the blast of destructive energy at the downed Gustav. This time, her spell had the intended effect: the deadly machine exploded, sending a large plume of flame up into the air and pieces of metal and machinery in all directions.  
  
"Good thing the keys were in the ignition. Damn, that's some powerful heat you're packing," she heard Snake say. Hikaru turned and saw Snake walking up to her. Now she could defintely see he wasn't the slightest bit injured.  
  
"Oh Snake, you're okay!" exclaimed Hikaru as she ran over to Snake and hugged him tightly. "I was worried that you might have been hurt!"  
  
"Hey, take it easy, kiddo," said Snake as he pried Hikaru off of him. "I'm a lot harder to hurt than that."  
  
"Well, try not to take chances like that again, okay?" demanded Hikaru. "Anyway, now we know there's defintely something funny going on around here. And why there were no guards around. They didn't want to be near here when they set that thing loose," she said bitterly, her sword dematerializing back into her glove.  
  
"Yeah, and they're gonna be back now that you trashed it," stated Snake grimly. "We better head back in the forest and come up with some sort of plan. C'mon let's move." The two ran towards the forest they had recently exited, but halfway there, Hikaru tripped and fell down. "Damn, now's not the time to be a klutz," Snake snapped.  
  
"I don't get how I..." Hikaru started to say, but then she turned to look at her foot and saw what it was that made her trip. "Over here," she called to him.  
  
"What?" he asked as he walked back to her. Then he saw it: her foot had gotten snagged on a sewer grating. A thought came to Snake, and evidently Hikaru had the same idea.  
  
"We might be able to get in this way," she said as she took out her sword again and used it like a lever to pry up the grating. It eventually came off, and she immediately climbed down. "Come on Snake!" she yelled after him.  
  
*One thing's for sure, she's a fast learner,* thought Snake wryly as he followed Hikaru down into the sewer system.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"They managed to dispose of the mini-Metal Gear," said the British-accented woman. "To be more specific, it was mainly by the girl. I managed to run scans on her the entire time. Her.... "magic".... is extremely powerful, and her combat skill seems to rival that of Snake's."  
  
"Well then, Snake has definitely chosen a worthy ally. But soon, our two good friends will have their way with them...."  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Snake and Hikaru slogged through the dank underground waterways of the base, their boots making a loud sloshing noise with each step they took, the water nearly up to their knees. Snake couldn't help remembering how he had had to trudge through the waterways in Zanzibar and Galuade. Soon his thoughts were interrupted by his companion. "Ugh, first the rain, and now this sewer," mumbled Hikaru.  
  
"So the fire sorceress can't stand water, huh?" said Snake humorously. "But seriously, you're not about to get hypothermia on me or anything, are you?"  
  
"What? Oh no, don't worry about that. These boots are waterproofed," answered Hikaru.  
  
"Yeah, so are mine," said Snake. For a while longer, there was silence, except for the sound of splashing water. But after a while, Snake spoke up. "Hikaru, back up there, when you hugged me..."  
  
"What about it?" asked Hikaru, confused. Snake sounded like he had a problem with it, but she had no problem showing her happiness about him not getting hurt.  
  
"Well, why did you? I mean, you've only known me a couple of hours, but you acted like I was your best friend or something. Why?" asked Snake in a curious tone.  
  
"Remember what I told you? It was the same way with Umi and Fuu back in Cephiro," replied Hikaru. "There I learned that time means nothing to the heart. Besides, if you died on me, I'd have do this by myself, and I don't think I'd have the strength to do this alone. I'll need you with me."  
  
"Well, glad to know I'm of some use," said Snake somewhat sarcasticly. Snake took the time to reflect upon Hikaru's words. He remembered how it had been similar for him on past missions; how he had instantly befriended Holly White and Chris Jenner. But Hikaru was also very different from him in another regard: she was so bubbly and perky, even in the middle of a war zone her spirit couldn't be totally kept down. Snake felt a sudden surge of envy. Despite her emotional pain, Hikaru still managed to experience true happiness. He wasn't sure if he even knew the meaning of the word 'happiness' anymore.  
  
Suddenly, Snake's brooding thoughts were interrupted by a soft cry of pain from Hikaru. She stumbled forward slightly and clutched her head with both hands. "Damn, I thought you weren't going to get sick on me," barked Snake acerbicly as he reached out and grabbed hold of Hikaru's shoulders.  
  
"What? No no, I'm okay," responded Hikaru after a few seconds. "I just got hit with a headache all of a sudden."  
  
"Probably stress from the mission," said Snake. Then the sound of someone's stomach growling filled the waterways. Hikaru stared up at Snake. Even with the dim lighting of the sewer tunnels, he could see the look of embarrassment on Hikaru's face. "Maybe you should eat that ration pack I gave you," he told her in a tone that let Hikaru know it was more of an order than a suggestion.  
  
"Oh, okay," Hikaru said, fishing out the field rations from her jacket pocket. After fumbling with it and trying to get it open, Snake took it and showed her how to open it. Hikaru dug into the contents and ravenously began to stuff her face; *I must be hungrier than I thought,* she figured as she swallowed a mouthful of crackers and chocolate bits.  
  
The two continued onwards through the sewer, but eventually they found an area where they could climb up out of the watery tunnel and into what looked like some sort of hallway. After lifting themselves out of the tunnel and shaking the water off their legs, they walked down it, until it ended at a fork, and the two were faced with a decision to go left or right.  
  
"Which way should we go?" asked Hikaru as she stepped forward. But suddenly Snake grabbed her and pulled her back. "Hey! Why...."  
  
"Just be quiet," Snake whispered in her ear, "I have a suspicion here." Letting go of Hikaru, he reached into one of his pouches.   
  
Curious, Hikaru looked closer to see what it was. It was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "Huh?" she muttered dubiously.  
  
"You'll see," said Snake as he took out a single cigarette and lit it. After taking a single drag, he crouched down and held it close to the bottom of the edge of the hallway. As the smoke rose, faint red horizontal rays became visible. As Hikaru stared curiously at it, she heard Snake say, "Infrared beams," answering her unspoken question. "If we touch them, they'll set off alarms and we'll be surrounded before we know it," he explained.  
  
"Then how do we get through?" asked a concerned Hikaru, worried that they may not be able to advance.  
  
"Don't worry, kid," said Snake. "Usually, the beams will deactivate at certain intervals to let guards pass through." Hikaru looked at the cigarette smoke again. Indeed at one point, the beams vanished for a few seconds, then sprang back into existence. "Listen, next time you see the beams go away, pass through. Then I'll go through the next time the beams deactivate," Snake instructed. Hikaru simply nodded, and watched for the next opportunity to run through. Soon it came, and she bolted through the edge of the hallway. Snake followed soon afterwards, stopping to take a long drag from his cigarette after he did so.  
  
"Those things will kill you, you know," said Hikaru in a scolding tone.  
  
"Yeah, I know," replied Snake, crushing the cigarette in his hand. "If it makes you feel any better, the only time I ever really smoke a whole lot is when I'm in a really stressful situation. And I think this counts. C'mon, let's get going."  
  
"Which way?" asked Hikaru, reminding Snake they had two paths to choose from.  
  
After a taking some time to think, Snake pointed and said, "We'll go left," and walked down his chosen path, Hikaru following close behind.  
  
The two arrived in an area with a lot of electronic doors lined against the walls. Unfortunately, most of these evidently had a security level higher than 1, making it impossible for Snake to get in. Well, Hikaru could have easily blasted the doors with her magic, but that would have surely alerted the guards. Eventually however, Snake did find a door his key card could open. The two walked inside, finding a room with several storage lockers and personal items. Apparently, it was a place where the guards could relax and take a break. But Snake immediately found something useful. On a table in the center of the room, there were two goggle-like devices. Snake immediately recognized them to be thermal goggles and night-vision goggles. He gave Hikaru the thermal goggles, explaining to her how to use them, and kept the night-vision goggles for himself. As they were about to leave, they heard a voice of someone approaching. "Hey James, is that you?"   
  
"Hikaru, quick, get in one of those lockers," whispered Snake hurriedly. Hikaru immediately understood, running for an empty locker and quietly shutting herself in. Snake did the same.  
  
They both heard the door open and the footsteps of someone walking inside. Through the ventilation slits on the locker door, Hikaru could vaguely see the curious guard searching the room. Hikaru felt beads of nervous sweat trickle down her brow as she tried to control her breathing, praying that the guard would soon leave.  
  
Eventually, he did. Once they were sure he was far enough away, Hikaru and Snake got out of the lockers. "Whew, that was a close one," Hikaru breathed nervously.  
  
"Yeah, way too close," Snake said. "If he tells anyone else he heard something, the other guards might get suspicious. Hikaru, wait here." Snake then exited the room, leaving Hikaru alone, confused about what it was he planned to do. A minute later, Snake came back, dragging the guard back in by the collar.   
  
"Huh? D-Did you... kill him?" stammered Hikaru.  
  
"What? Nah," replied Snake nonchalantly. "Just knocked him unconscious. By the time he wakes up, we'll be long gone. And with his weapons." Snake then relieved him of his main weapon, a FAMAS assault rifle and the ammo clips, and removed the pouch of fragmenation grenades on the guard's belt and attached it to his own. Once he had finished disarming him, he picked up his body again and stuffed him in a locker. "I doubt anyone will find him before we're gone," said Snake as he shut the locker door. "I also found this on him," he added, holding up a card with a large number '2' on it. "Now we'll have access to more areas. Let's find out exactly what they're keeping here," he said, slinging the rifle over his shoulder (it had a shoulder strap) .  
  
"Okay Snake. But I really don't like this," said Hikaru in a low voice.  
  
"Don't like what?" asked Snake confused. *Frankly, what IS there to like about this?* he added in his thoughts.  
  
"I mean all this sneaking around," answered Hikaru. "I don't know, it makes me feel like a coward, like we're not tackling the problem directly...."  
  
"What would you like us to do then?" Snake retorted sharply. "Go around guns-a-blazin'? If we're discovered, we'll have to fight, and probably kill. Is that what you want?"   
  
Hikaru looked down and shook her head no. "No, absolutely not. I-I didn't think of it that way."  
  
"Besides," continued Snake, "sometimes it takes more courage not to fight. C'mon, let's go. And we shouldn't talk so much. Try to use hand signals from now on when guards are around."   
  
With that, the two exited the room, and Snake used his new level 2 card to try and access more of the doors. It wasn't easy, as they had to evade an occasional guard and a couple surveillance cameras, but they managed. They found a few more useful things, like extra ammo clips for Snake's weapons and two more ration packs, both of which Snake gave to Hikaru. But what interested Snake the most is what he found that he couldn't use: all sorts of machinery and electronic equipment whose functions Snake was unsure of. Hikaru voiced the thought that had come to Snake's mind. "It looks like this is some sort of storage warehouse. That would explain the trucks outside."  
  
"Yeah, but a storage warehouse for what?" asked Snake, knowing he wouldn't receive an answer.  
  
After they had finished searching the rooms they could now access, they left the B1 floor via a stairway they had found. On the ground floor, there were even more guards and surveillance cameras, all of which Snake and Hikaru were able to avoid easily. After a while they came across something interesting.  
  
There were two rooms used for storage here. They were large and wide open, adjacent to one another, and filled with metal and wooden crates, the contents of which Snake wondered about as he walked around with Hikaru in one of those two expansive rooms.  
  
He didn't have that long to think.  
  
Snake heard the slightest noise behind him. Turning around, he saw the vague outline of a man holding up some sort of gun. Without another thought, Snake grabbed Hikaru close to him and rolled to the side with her behind a large metal crate. The action saved both their lives: the sound of rapid machine gun fire resonated in their ears, machine gun fire that was meant for them.  
  
"Well well well, so it's true. The Legend's found himself a little friend," came a mocking voice once the sound of gunfire had died down.  
  
"Why don't you two come out and play with us?" taunted a second voice sardonically, this one identical to the first. "You up for a little round of two-on-two?"  
  
Snake turned to Hikaru. "I don't think we have much of a choice," he said to her as he took out his FAMAS rifle; no point in using the handgun with the suppressor now that they had been discovered. Hikaru nodded in agreement, drawing her sword from her glove, and the two jumped out from behind the metal crate to face their attackers.  
  
******  
  
To be continued in Chapter 5  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	5. Two on Two

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 5: Two-On-Two  
  
6-25-2003  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
Snake wasted no time. Upon jumping out from behind the cover of the crate, he immediately opened fire on their assailants. Unfortunately, whoever they were, they were too quick; they easily rolled to the side. Then Snake heard the click from his rifle that told him the clip was out of ammo, far sooner than it should have. *Damn!* Snake thought angrily. Apparently, he hadn't bothered to check if the ammo clip that was in the rifle was full when he took it from that guard.  
  
"Well well well, out of ammo already? Didn't bother to check the clip?" came the taunting voice of one of the attackers as he stepped out from behind the crate, giving Snake and Hikaru a good look at him.  
  
"And he didn't even nail us? He must be losing his touch, huh Johnny?" came the voice of the other, who also stepped out into view.  
  
"Sure looks that way, Joey," replied the first man.  
  
Now Hikaru and Snake could see who it was they were facing, and that they certainly weren't any normal soldiers. For one thing, it was now obvious why their voices sounded so similar: they were twins. Both were black men, very tall and extremely muscular, around 6'3", and were wearing the same standard camouflage uniforms worn by the rest of the soldiers they had encountered. They had bald and had angular faces that had looks of hatred and contempt etched into their features. But what really made them different was what appeared to be mechanical devices attached to their bodies. Both had a strange eyepiece attached to one of their eyes that looked similar to the eyepieces on the night-vision goggles they had acquired earlier, and both had a device that looked like a weapon on one of their arms. To Snake, it looked like a machine gun, grenade launcher and nikita missile launcher all combined into one menacing-looking device. To one who had been referred to as Johnny had the eyepiece attached to his right eye and the weapon attached to his left arm, while the one referred to as Joey had the eyepiece on his left eye and the weapon attached to his right arm. And both had their weapon arms pointed right at Hikaru and Snake.   
  
"Cyborgs, huh?" Snake thought aloud as he reloaded his assault rifle with a fresh clip of ammunition.   
  
"No shit, Sherlock," Joey blasted vehemently. "We're known as the Cyborg Twins."  
  
"Oh, that's an original name," said Snake, rolling his eyes.  
  
"What do you want with us?" demanded Hikaru harshly.  
  
"Nothin' much, kid. We just want you dead," spat Johnny, leering menacingly at Hikaru. Then he turned his attemtion to Snake and said, "We know all about you, Snake, and that you must've somehow found out about Metal Gear. We can't let you and your little playmate here go any further."  
  
"'We'?" said Snake in a questioning voice. "I wonder, just what do you mean by 'we'? Do you just mean the two of you, or are you part of some organization here?"  
  
"It's true we're not workin' on this Metal Gear project alone," replied Joey in a hateful tone. "But there's no way in hell we're tellin' you about it. You'll have to beat it out of us."  
  
"Like he's not gonna try, Joey," hissed Johnny. "This is the Legend, after all, and he's legendary for killing everyone who gets in his way, slaughtering anyone on the order of his masters back in Washington." A wicked smile formed on his lips. "Well, this time, it'll be the Legend who dies."  
  
"That's not true! You're wrong about him!" cried out Hikaru, her hands gripping her sword tightly.   
  
"His track record says otherwise, kid," retorted Joey disdainfully. "I don't know what he's told you, but he's killed a lot of people in cold blood, and even let people who were supposed to be his friends die." Hikaru turned to look at Snake, who had his eyes shut tightly and was shaking his head.  
  
"You're right about all that, I won't deny it," said Snake. "But it's not like I wanted to. I never wanted any of that."  
  
"He's right!" shouted Hikaru. "Snake never wanted to kill anyone, and we don't want to fight you now!"  
  
"Well too bad kid. We sure as hell want to fight you," sneered Johnny. With that, both Johnny and Joey fired a cylindrical-shaped device out of their weapon arms.  
  
"Grenades! Look out!" screamed Snake as he rolled to the side; Hikaru did the same. But they were both a few seconds too late. One of the grenades was a stun grenade, and it unleashed its flash-bang combo that temporarily blinded Hikaru and Snake. The other grenade released a cloud of semi-opaque gas, so that their vision was still impaired even after the effects of the stun grenade wore off.   
  
Hikaru glanced around nervously, hoping to be able to see something, anything, through the smoke, but had no luck; all she could see were the outlines of the stacks of cargo crates. She briefly considered shooting off a fire spell blindly, hoping she might hit one of the Cyborg Twins. But there was also a good chance she would accidently hit Snake, and she couldn't take that risk.  
  
Hikaru then heard someone creeping up behind her, undoubtedly it was one of the Cyborg Twins. She turned around to face him, but again, she was a few seconds too late. Through the thick smoke, a large, powerful hand reached out and grabbed her by the throat. Again, her attacker acted before she could do anything, and she was thrown through the air, going through the doorway that led to the other large storage room.  
  
At this point the gas was starting to clear up and Snake saw one of the Cyborg Twins hurl Hikaru into the other room. He watched helplessly as he followed Hikaru into the room and seal the door shut behind him. "Hikaru!" he cried out desperately.  
  
"Don't bother worrying about the little girl," came a sardonic voice from behind him. "You've got enough problems of your own." Snake quickly turned around to see Johnny glaring menacingly at him, cybernetic weapon arm at the ready. Johnny shot off another volley of machine gun fire at Snake, who barely managed to dodge the attack and find cover behind another stack of cargo containers.  
  
"Damn," muttered Snake. "This is not my day." Standing up and turning around, he readied his assault rifle and fired, but Johnny also managed to find cover behind some metal crates. After a while, Johnny came out from behind the crates and fired at Snake, who barely managed to duck for cover in time, and then retreated again behind the crate. *I'm getting nowhere with this guerrilla fighting. I have to find a way to draw him out,* Snake thought. But his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of another weapon, a sound that he recognized instantly: the approach of a Nikita remote-controlled missile.  
  
Snake deftly rolled away, hearing the explosion from the missile behind him. Snake stood up and looked back, seeing Johnny was quite a long distance away from him. He lifted his weapon arm and fired off another missile, and despite the distance between the two, it was closing on him fast. Snake fired his rifle at it, and it exploded. However, the missile had gotten so close to him that Snake could feel the searing heat of the explosion, and had to shield his face and turn away. Then he heard the sound of yet another weapon: a grenade launcher.  
  
*Damnit, he just doesn't let up!* thought Snake bitterly as he quickly ran to the left to avoid the grenades. *I'll have to be just as relentless.* Pulling two grenades out, he pulled out the pins and tossed them at Johnny, then and dashed to the side of the storage room behind yet another wall of metal containers. Judging from the "Urgh!" sound he heard along with his grenades going off, he had done some damage, but there was no telling how badly he had managed to injure Johnny.  
  
"Oh Snake, why don't you come on out and play?!" came Johnny's mocking voice. Snake muttered a curse as he reloaded his rifle with a full clip, his back flattened against the wall of containers. Now knowing that Johnny had too much heavy weaponry at his disposal, another frontal attack wouldn't be wise. Snake knew he would have to try coming at him from behind. But before he could put his plan into action, Johnny called out again. "Okay then, I guess you're fine with playing hide and seek!" And then the sound of yet another Nikita missile being fired off. Snake looked around frantically, trying to spot the guided missile. Eventually, he saw it round a corner and come straight for him. He immediately fired upon it, and it exploded harmlessly a safe distance away from him. But then Snake heard yet another missile approach behind him. He turned and fired, hitting it dead-on but this one had gotten so close that Snake was knocked flat on his back. "Now I know where you've holed yourself up. OK Snake, now it's time to play catch!" taunted Johnny.   
  
Snake then heard the grenade launcher again. He quickly scrambled to his feet, and saw a grenade come over the wall of containers. It landed too far away from him to hurt him, but he knew that sooner or later one would manage to hit him, unless he fought back. *At least he seems to be out of those damn missiles,* he mused as he reached into his pouch for another grenade and pulled the pin. He tossed it over the side, but no cry of agony accompanied the explosion this time.  
  
"Oh C'MON Snake! I know you can do better than that!" bellowed Johnny haughtily as he launched another grenade over the stack of crates. This one got closer to the last one - too close for comfort. Snake pulled out three more grenades and quickly tossed them over at Johnny. Maybe now there'd be a good chance he'd hit his attacker. This time, he did hear another muffled cry of pain, but immediately following it was another one of Johnny's snide remarks. "Oh yeah, NOW we're getting somewhere! I'm sure you know what I'm talking about Snake. That feeling you only get when you're fighting for your life on the battlefield."  
  
Johnny was right about that - he was indeed very familiar with that feeling he had felt numerous times on the battlefield, the feeling that made him feel more alive than anything else. The exhilarating thrill of battle, the rush of adrenaline, and the feeling of raw fighting instinct taking over - it was all coming back.......  
  
*No,* thought Snake, a wave of disgust sweeping over him for almost submitting to those snesations again. *No, I'm not gonna give in. I'm not gonna play it his way.* He looked down at his grenade pouch. He had only one grenade left. Suddenly, an idea came to him. If he managed to pull this off, that one grenade would be enough to take down Johnny, possibly without having to kill him.  
  
"Hey Snakey, what's the holdup?" questioned Johnny imperiously about why Snake had ceased throwing grenades back at him. He fired two more grenades over the crate wall, but still no signs of retaliation. "Guess I got 'im," muttered Johnny.  
  
"Oh please, it'll take much more than you've got to kill me," cried Snake loudly as he climbed atop the stack of crates he had taken cover behind, grenade in hand. Johnny looked up and saw him, and rasied his weapon arm to fire, but he was too slow this time. He leapt down and tackled him, sending them both crashing down onto the floor. Wasting no time, Snake put his plan into action and lodged his last grenade into Johnny's weapon arm, where the Nikita missiles had been fired from. Pulling the pin, he quickly rolled away, leaving Johnny wondering just what he had been up to.  
  
He learned what Snake's plan was soon enough, and in a very unpleasant manner.  
  
The grenade detonated, sending bits of shrapnel flying everywhere and completely disfiguring the end of his weapon arm. Now none of his weapons would function, giving Snake the chance to take him alive and get information out of him. Snake ran toward Johnny, who retaliated by using his weapon arm the only way he could - by trying to bludgeon Snake with it. But once again, he was too slow. Snake ducked out of harm's way, and came back with a vicious uppercut straight to Johnny's jaw, followed up by a brutal right to his face. A swift kick to the midsection ended Snake's assault, and Johnny collapsed onto the ground. He scrambled to get up and attack again, but Snake had pulled out his pistol and aimed it right at his head. "It's over," he muttered.  
  
"Goddamnit," cursed Johnny as he wiped away the blood oozing from his mouth. "So, I guess I'm another feather in your cap, huh?"  
  
"Shut up," spat Snake, having had enough of Johnny's taunts and accusations. "I could've tried to finish this the easy way, but I went ahead and took you alive."  
  
"So maybe the buzz about what happened in Galuade was true after all. Maybe you really are getting soft in your old age," retorted Johnny.  
  
"Think whatever you want. I don't give a damn," said Snake. "Right now, all I care about is destroying Metal Gear so I can get the hell out of here. Now where is it?"  
  
"And if I don't tell you, you'll what? Kill me?" asked Johnny mockingly.  
  
"Don't push me. I am NOT in the mood for games," Snake replied threateningly as he tightened his grip on his gun. Truthfully, he didn't want to kill him, but better if he thought he might. He'd be more likely to spill his guts that way.  
  
Johnny hesitated for a long while, but eventually he spoke. "Alright, I'll toss you a bone. We've got it hidden deep underground. If you want the gritty details about this place, I'm sure you can radio Campbell or whoever the hell you're taking orders from this time."  
  
"I'm taking orders from no one," said Snake. "Except for that girl, I alone here...." Snake stopped abruptly, realizing he'd just told him more than he should have. *I'm supposed to be getting information out of him, not the other way around!* he thought acidly to himself.  
  
"Oh really? So you're all alone here huh?" said Johnny with mock curiosity. He then turned his head to look behind Snake. "Well, me and my buddies sure aren't. Did you get that little girl Joey?"   
  
"What?!" exclaimed Snake as he spun around to face whoever Johnny was talking to. No one was there. It was a ruse, and he fell for it! He quickly turned back to face Johnny, who had drawn a pistol of his own and was ready to fire at him. Acting on battle reflexes, Snake shot at him before he had a chance to fire. The bullet tore through his cybernetic eyepiece, sending sparks spewing everywhere. Johnny dropped down again, completely motionless. He had been killed instantly.  
  
For a few seconds, Snake just stood there, staring at Johnny's lifeless body. Why did things always have to turn out this way? Even now, when he went out of his way to take his enemy alive, he was still forced to kill. But soon enough, Snake came to his senses, remembering Hikaru. If she was still fighting the other one, she might need his help. He quickly ran to the door Joey had thrown Hikaru through and slid his ID card in the electronic lock. The door hissed open, and he walked through, assault rifle at the ready.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Hikaru landed hard on her butt, and skidded backwards for a while on the smooth metal floor. But she immediately got back up, ready to face her attacker, who she saw closing the door behind him as he entered the room with her. *Fine, if he wants to take me on by himself, I'll be more than happy to accomodate him,* she thought tersely as she drew her sword. "YAAAHHH!" she screamed as she charged toward Joey, sword at the ready to strike him down. However, he quickly blocked her sword with his weapon arm. *What, it didn't cut throught it?* thought Hikaru, who had figured an Escudo weapon was capable of easily slicing through any metal from Earth. *What's this thing made out of?*  
  
"The old witch was right. You are fast," said Joey as he got right in Hikaru's face. "But you'll have to do better!" With that, he pushed his weapon arm forward, shoving Hikaru away from him. Then he lunged forward with his weapon arm, attempting to clobber her. But Hikaru managed to avoid his attack by jumping backwards, and the only thing he managed to hit was the metal floor.  
  
"Alright, time to show you what I can really do!" yelled Hikaru. "Flame Arrow!" Hikaru shot her fire spell right at Joey, who just managed to leap aside and avoid getting scorched.  
  
"Yow, hot stuff!" Joey shot back bitterly, holding up his weapon arm. "Now try this!" he cried as he launched grenades at her. Hikaru turned heel and ran, feeling the heat of the explosions on her back, which were way too close for comfort. Straight ahead of her was another large stack of metal boxes which almost reached the ceiling. Hikaru deftly leapted from box to box until she reached the top of the stack. She quickly turned around to face Joey again.  
  
"Ruby Lightning!" she screamed, firing off her deadly energy blast. But once again, Joey managed to jump out of the way just in time, and all her spell managed to do was leave a smoldering impact crater in the floor.  
  
"Nyah nyah, missed me again!" taunted Joey. "But this next one won't miss!" Hikaru then saw him fire off some sort of missile, which was barreling right towards her. Hikaru jumped down from the stack of crates in an attempt to avoid it, but she saw the missile suddenly changed direction and head straight for her! In desperation, she used her Flame Arrow spell to destroy it, but it had gotten too close, and the explosion knocked her down.  
  
*Oh great, he's got some sort of guided missiles,* she thought bitterly as she stood back up, her back searing with pain from the impact. But she didn't have much time before Joey was on the move again, running towards her and firing his machine gun. Hikaru flipped to the side, feeling the deadly barrage of bullets whizzing past her. *Got to keep him on the defensive so he can't use his weapons,* Hikaru thought. With that, she shot her Ruby Lightning spell at Joey again, this one more powerful than last time. Joey jumped backwards slightly to avoid it. Hikaru had missed Joey himself, but had hit the floor right in front of him, sending up a big plume of smoke and debris, which served to temporarily blind Joey, much like how he and his brother had done to her with their smoke grenades. Suddenly, an idea came to Hikaru about how she could use that to her advantage. It was time to take a page out of Snake's book.  
  
Eventually the smoke cleared and Joey could see clearly again, only to clearly see what Hikaru was gone. "What the hell?" he exclaimed as he walked up to the big stack of crates where Hikaru had been standing before. He even walked behind it to see if she was there. Nothing. Perplexed, he walked back in front of the crate stack. "Where the hell did she go?" he thought aloud, scratching his head.  
  
"Right under your nose!" came Hikaru's reply. Joey looked around desperately trying to locate her, but still could not find any trace of the fiery little girl. Then the top of one of the crates flew off, and out leapt Hikaru. She landed a good ten meters away from Joey and then cried out, "Flame Arrow!" Her blast of fire magic went right past Joey and plowed right through the crate stack.  
  
"That's four times you missed me!" shouted Joey.  
  
"Who said you were the target?" questioned Hikaru with a smirk.  
  
"Huh?!" said Joey. All of a sudden, a low rumbling sound was heard behind him. He looked back to see that since Hikaru had destroyed a good number of the crates, the rest were threatening to topple over. As in fall forward right onto him. Joey tried to run and get out of harm's way, but it was too late. Numerous crates fell right onto him, knocking him to the floor and pinning him down, with only his upper body sticking out. Joey writhed in pain as he struggled to raise his weapon arm, but Hikaru walked up to him and with her sword gripped in both hands, pointing downwards, she thrust the tip of her sword down onto the middle of Joey's cybernetic arm. This time, her sword tore through right through it, noisily snapping it in half and causing sparks to fly out.  
  
"It's over," said Hikaru as she withdrew her sword into her glove ormament. Joey just spat out a string of hideous profanities in response. Hikaru simply ignored him, feeling incredibly relieved that the she had won the battle, and that she didn't have to resort to killing him to do it. What's more, maybe she could get some information out of him. But before she could ask him any questions, she heard the electronic door separating the two storage rooms slide open. She spun around nervously to see who it was, but calmed down once she saw it was Snake instead of the other Cyborg Twin. "Snake, you're alright!" she exclaimed happily with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Snake in an impassive manner.  
  
"What about the other guy?" asked Hikaru.  
  
Snake just stared at the ground for a moment. "Taken care of," he said morosely.  
  
"So, you killed him," snapped Joey. "Struck down, just like the rest of my family."  
  
"Huh?" asked Hikaru curiously, turning back to face her defeated foe. "What are you talking about."  
  
"I'm talking about how the rest of my family died because of senseless slaughter," replied Joey hatefully. "Back in the 60's, during the Civil Rights Movement, our mother and father were actively involved in making sure we blacks got a fair shake. They were lynched by Ku Klux Klan members, and later it turned out some of 'em were police officers."  
  
Hikaru just stared at Joey, nonplussed. "T-that's... horrible...." she said in a low whisper.  
  
"But that's only half the story," continued Joey. "After that, we were sent to live with our grandma over in Los Angeles. Things were better there, and we lived happily. The murder of our parents still hurt bad, though, and then, years later...."  
  
"Don't tell me... the L.A. riots?" said Snake, who had walked up behind Hikaru. "Are you saying your grandmother was killed because of racial violence too?" he asked.  
  
"That's exactly what I'm saying," said Joey with a malicious look on his face. "You have no idea what it's like to lose people you love like that, twice! All just because of the color of our skin, and the almighty high-horsed U.S. government didn't really do a damn thing to stop it, ignoring the so-called ideals the country was based on...."  
  
Hikaru looked fixedly in disbelief at the downed Joey, trying to comprehend how such cruelty could be heaped on people for such trivial reasons. But something just didn't make sense about what he had said to her. "Wait a minute. If you hate America so much, how come you're in the U.S. Army?" she asked him.  
  
Joey just let out a peal of malicious laughter. "The U.S. armed forces?! ME?! Girl, you obviously don't get what's going on here. We're..."   
  
That's all Joey managed to get out, before a bullet from an unseen shooter tore through his skull, killing him immediately.  
  
"What the...?!" shouted a surprised Snake as he spun around to look behind him. Hikaru did the same. All she and Snake saw was the outline of someone holding a gun, standing in the doorway that let back to the mazelike corridors of the building's upper level.  
  
"Who was that?!" asked a baffled Hikaru. "Who would kill off his own comrade?!"  
  
"Someone who didn't want us to hear what Joey was abou to tell us," answered Snake angrily. "C'mon, after him!" he said as he ran towards the door. "I wanna know what all this is about." Hikaru nodded and followed him.  
  
They had had to split up to search the winding hallways of the storage base. Hikaru didn't even bothered trying to evade the surveillance cameras, since anyone here probably already knew that she and Snake were here too. *Thankfully, none of the other guards seem to be around,* she thought to herself as she rounded a corner. And ran smack dab into something solid. Like a brick wall. Hikaru fell down painfully, and then, rubbing her throbbing head, looked up. She hadn't run into something, but SOMEONE. A woman, to be exact, and a very tall and well-muscled one at that, somewhere around the 7 foot range going by American measurements. She silently stared back down at Hikaru with an icy glare, her long, thick black hair obscuring most of her face. Her skin had a slight reddish color to it, and she was wearing camouflage pants, shiny black combat boots, a black ribbed-knit sleeveless turtleneck top, and had a gun holster at her side. Evidently, she was the one she and Snake were after. Too bad she now had her. With speed that belied her immense size, she reached down and grabbed Hikaru's throat with both hands, and effortlessly hoisted her up and slammed her against the wall, slowly choking the life out of her. "Gahhh...gack," Hikaru spat out weakly as the woman continued to strangle her.  
  
"Enough! Let her go!! NOW!!" she heard Snake yell at the woman. They both turned to see Snake with his handgun drawn. It was then that Hikaru's attacker finally spoke.  
  
"You should have killed me when you had the chance," she said in a low voice. And her accent, it was.... Portuguese?! And then, acting again with baffling speed, she twirled around and threw Hikaru at Snake, then turned and ran. She threw her with so much force that Snake got knocked flat on his back, with Hikaru on top of him.  
  
*I could say the same to you,* Snake thought wryly as he untangled himself from Hikaru. "You OK?" he asked her. Hikaru just nodded, her hand nursing her aching neck. "Good, then let's get her before she escapes." With that, the two of them took off in pursuit.  
  
Hikaru and Snake managed to follow her to the outside of the base, back to where they had fought the mini-Metal Gear earlier. Snake looked around frantically trying to spot her. Then he heard an car engine being started up - the second truck! The truck took off and headed toward a worn road into the woods. Snake took out his handgun and tried to hit the tires, but it was too dark to aim properly, and h was far too late. "Damn!" he shouted. But a sudden cry of pain from Hikaru shifted his attention away from the escaped enemy. He turned to see Hikaru on her knees, clutching her head with both hands. "What is it, what's wrong?" demanded Snake.  
  
"Nothing...nothing to worry about," replied Hikaru in a quivering voice. "Just another headache. Must be from when she tried to strangle me."  
  
"I hope so. Anyway, let's go after her. She might lead us to where they're keeping Metal Gear," he said as he ran back into the forest. Hikaru followed close behind, still holding a hand to her head.  
  
******  
  
I hate when I let my fics sit for too long. Hopefully I'll be more timely with Chapter 6.  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	6. Welcome to the Jungle

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 6: Welcome to the Jungle  
  
7-17-2003  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
Snake walked along the worn road that led deeper into the wilderness with his pistol drawn, with Hikaru anxiously following behind him, sword at the ready, as a light drizzle continued to pour down. Snake was feeling slightly nervous as well, since he really had no idea where this path was leading the two of them. Additionally, his thoughts were preoccupied with what Joey had said to them back at the storage warehouse - or rather, what he would have said had he not been silenced. Obviously, it was a significant piece of information if that woman was willing to shoot her own teammate in order to keep Snake from hearing it.  
  
Suddenly, Snake's tumultuous thoughts were interrupted when his foot snagged on something, causing him to trip. Hikaru was immediately at his side. "Snake! You OK?" she asked as she helped him up.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied in an annoyed voice as he got back up.  
  
"And you accused ME of klutziness," said Hikaru in a humorous tone. Snake just stared at her.  
  
"It's still too dark to see," he snapped back. "Hmmm, maybe we should use the goggles we picked up earlier." Snake then took out his night vision goggles and put them on. "Oh yes, much better." Hikaru took out her thermal goggles as well, and fumbled with them trying to get them on. For a few seconds Snake just watched, thinking it was ridiculously adorable how she was awkwardly trying to get the thermal goggles to work. Eventually though, he went over and helped her get them on properly.  
  
"Whoa, this is weird," said Hikaru as she looked around with infrared vision.  
  
"It lets you see in terms of heat, not light," explained Snake. "But one thing though: try not to use your magic around me. MY goggles amplify light, and you'll probably blind me if you blast something."  
  
"OK Snake, let's go!" she said cheerfully.  
  
"And keep it down, damnit," said Snake harshly, but Hikaru didn't seem fazed in the slightest as he once again followed him down the road. Maybe it was a good thing she was so perky and energetic, because he really didn't have any idea where they were going. "That really makes things more difficult," he thought aloud.  
  
"What?" said Hikaru.  
  
"Nothing," said Snake quickly. "It's just that, well, the other times I did this, there were people I was in constant contact with to help guide me through most of the mission," he started to explain. "Except for you, this time I'm on my own."  
  
"Yeah, I understand what you mean," replied Hikaru. "I'm sort of used to having help like that too. Back in Cephiro, Umi, Fuu and I had Mokona to guide us."  
  
"Mokona?" asked Snake curiously. "You mean that fluffy, bouncy little thing you mentioned?"  
  
"Yeah, exactly," said Hikaru. "But like you said, at least you don't have to do this alone. I'm here too."  
  
"You're right about that," said Snake. But he was more preoccupied with painful memories of when people who had helped him before got killed. Snake shuddered as he remembered how Nastasha Marcova and Jimmy Harks had died right in front of him, how he had been powerless to save them....  
  
"Snake, I think we're on the right track," said Hikaru, snapping Snake out of his private musings. He looked up to see Hikaru pointed ahead at a wire gate. Indeed, it looked like they had been heading in the right direction after all.  
  
Snake walked up to the gate and inspected it. Yes, there was an electronic locking mechanism on it, as well as a part that would open up and let a large vehicle through - a vehicle as large as the truck that woman had driven away in. But there waqs a bit of a problem. "The lock doesn't use security cards, so we'll have to climb over it, and the noise may attract anyone nearby..."  
  
"Then let's just make our own entrance," spoke up Hikaru. Before Snake could ask her what she planned to do, she approached the gate and thrust her sword through it. She then proceeded to slice away at the gate. When Hikaru was done, there was a gaping hole in the gate that a person could easily walk through. And although Hikaru had made some noise cutting away the hole, he doubted it was loud enough to alert any nearby guards. "Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Hikaru with a smirk as she walked through the hole.  
  
"Nice work," said Snake as he followed her through the hole. "Time to see what's going on around here."  
  
Hikaru and Snake continued onward, keeping an eye out for any more soldiers. None were found, but eventually, Snake noticed something in front of them. Footprints that had been left in the soggy soil, and on ground that they had not yet trod on. "Um, Hikaru, I think we're in an area being patrolled again," Snake pointed out in a whisper. Hikaru immediately knew what that meant; once again, she and Snake would have to move quickly and quietly to avoid being spotted by the enemy.  
  
And now the path ahead of them wasn't a straight road for them to follow. Just like earlier, the forest now had paths that branched out in all directions. Hikaru and Snake descended into the maze without hesitation, moving as silently and stealthily as possible.  
  
Eventually, as they continued on, the duo arrived at a split in the path that led to the left, and then arrived at a corner where the path branched to the left, Snake took a quick peek around the corner to be certain no one was there. Thanks to his night vision goggles, he could easily see that someone was there. Not much more than a few meters away was a guard, standing at a three-way intersection. Snake had an idea of how to easily evade him, and leaned over and whispered his plan into Hikaru's ear. "Gotcha," said Hikaru, and lifted her sword up and rustled the leaves and branches above her.  
  
"Huh? What the?" she heard the guard say. Then she heard the guard begin to noisily walk towards them to investigate, his feet making loud squishing noises in the mud. Hikaru and Snake promptly ran back to the split in the path they passed by earlier and ran down it, and eventually arrived at the three-way intersection the guard had been standing at. Only the guard was no longer there, having been lured away from his post so easily. "Aahh, musta been some animal," Hikaru heard him say as she and Snake sped away.  
  
"Whew," breathed a relieved Hikaru. "That was pretty easy."  
  
"Don't count on things to be that easy in the future, though," warned Snake sternly. "Now that they know we're here, they've no doubt beefed up security."  
  
And how right he was. Throughout the winding paths of the forest they had about a half-dozen near run-ins with the patrolling soldiers. Practically around every corner there was a guard on the lookout for any sign of them. *Guess we really spooked them if they dispatched THIS many soldiers to look for us,* Hikaru thought morbidly as she and Snake continued to stealthily make their way through the forest. But though she was a fast learner, she had been to used to fighting every enemy that crossed her path in Cephiro and was unaccustomed to these sort of stealth operations, and it was very likely she would make a mistake.  
  
Eventually, she did. Turning a corner, she absent-mindedly stepped into a puddle created from the recent rain and made a loud splash. And unfortunately, it was while they were trying to get past a guard who had his back turned. The guard quickly turned around and spotted the two of them before they had a chance to get out of view. "Hey! They're over here! Everyone, this way!" Hikaru heard him yell as she ran away. A surge of disgust swept over Hikaru for having caused them to get spotted. "Snake, I-I..."  
  
"Forget it," said Snake, seeming to know she was about to apologize. "Just run." Hikaru complied, following Snake as he led the way. Soon enough, all the guards in the vicinity were closing in, frantically searching for them. Adrenaline coursed through her body as they navigated the winding paths of the forests, hearing the sounds of guards searching all over for them. She looked wildly about, trying to make sure none of the guards were around. But she was still trying to get used to the infrared vision of her goggles and wasn't really able to make out her surroundings, and that just increased her anxiety all the more.  
  
Eventually, though, it seemed like the guards had given up their search for them. Hikaru heard one say "Damn, they got away," and another say "Everyone, return to your positions." Snake and Hikaru decided to stop to take a breather in a grassy area. "Whew, that was way too close," muttered Hikaru, wiping away the nervous sweat from her forehead. She spoke in a whispered voice, for fear that they may be overheard again.  
  
"Yeah, I know," replied Snake, also in a whisper. "Try not to make slip-ups like that again, OK?"  
  
Before Hikaru could reply, she heard a surprised outburst from behind them: "What the?" She whirled around and saw that one of the guards had spotted them again....  
  
Time seemed to then stand still, and Hikaru was hit with another one of those mysterious freak headaches. But this time, the headache was accompanied by something else; some form of energy resonating deep within her. It felt sort of similar to when Clef had first given her magic and taught her how to use it, but there was one significant difference. That power Clef showed her had the feeling of unmatchable beauty, of total ecstacy. This new power, though, felt insanely raucous, uncontrollably chaotic, obstreperous.....  
  
And utterly uncontainable.  
  
Before Hikaru was even aware anything was happening, she felt this new energy burst forth to the surface, and discharge itself from her body. Through her thermal goggles, she witnessed a white-hot flash of energy issue forth from herself and lash out at the soldier who had found her and Snake. She heard him scream out in agony, and then saw him crumple.  
  
Time returned to normal for her, and for a while, she just stood there, witnessing her involuntary deed through her thermal goggles. Looking at the fallen guard, she saw bright white areas around the spot where he was truck by whatever had come out of her. *Oh God, don't tell me I killed another one...* she thought.  
  
"Damn!" came an annoyed voiced from behind her. Hikaru turned around to see Snake holding an arm in front of his face. "Didn't I tell you not to use your magic while I had this thing on?!"  
  
"I-It wasn't my magic," stammered Hikaru, trying to explain what had happened, which was difficult since she herself didn't know. "At least, it didn't FEEL like the magic I've used before...." Then it hit her. Before the start of her journey Future had told her that a new, third form of fire magic would manifest itself while on this mission. Those sudden headaches she had felt earlier must have been a result of this new magic spell trying to assert itself. Hikaru quickly told Snake what she had just deduced. *But if I can't keep this under control,* she silently added in her thoughts, *what use could it be on a mission where I have to remain unseen?*  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the approach of more soldiers. "I think that scream came from over here," she heard one of them say.  
  
"Oh swell," spat Snake. "Quick, hide in the grass." Hikaru did as she was told, and laid flat on the ground along with Snake, letting the thick, tall grass conceal them from view.  
  
"He's alive, but burned badly," they heard one of the guards say. "Get him out of here. Everyone else, fan out! Let's find those bastards."  
  
*Well, at least I didn't kill him,* Hikaru thought with relief as the guards dispatched from the area. Once they were sure all of them were gone, Hikaru and Snake stood up and brushed of the leaves and pieces of grass that had stuck to their damp clothing.  
  
"Not good," said Snake suddenly. "Whatever the hell it was you did to him, it's got all of them on edge. They'll be twice as alert now."  
  
Hikaru looked down at the ground, mortified about how she had blown their cover, twice, because of her mistakes. "Snake, I-I'm so sorry. I almost got us...."  
  
"Like I said before, forget it," said Snake, cutting her off. "It's obvious you learn fast. Just learn a little faster, OK?" he said with a coarse smile.  
  
Hikaru took heart from Snake's compliment. "Yeah, OK," she replied with a smile of her own. "Let's get going."   
  
So the two continued to make their way through the forest, with Snake in the lead. Hikaru was beginning to wonder if they would ever find anything in this forest maze, or even the way out. Memories of the difficult trek through the Forest of Silence came flooding back, and this time, there was no Mokona to guide them. But soon, Snake spoke up, and that snapped her out of her worrisome thoughts. "Hikaru, looks like we found something," said Snake, pointing at something in the distance. Hikaru looked up to see Snake pointing at a small cabin. "Let's go check it out," added Snake.  
  
Thankfully, no soldiers were present inside the cabin. All that was inside was stacks and stacks of large cardboard boxes. "ANOTHER storage area?!" blurted out Hikaru. "What's with their obsession of stockpiling everything they can think of all around this base?"  
  
"I have no idea whatsoever," answered Snake as he opened one of the boxes. Inside were a bunch of M-16 and FAMAS rifles along with a copious amount of ammo for them. "Apparently, they're hell-bent on making sure there's a supply of weapons within a 100 foot radius anywhere on this base!" exclaimed Snake as he reached in and snatched up more clips of ammunition for his assault rifle. Then he rached over and opened another box. "Perfect!" he cried as he pulled out more fragmentation grenades and refilled his exhausted supply.  
  
"Well, at least we found something useful in here," stated Hikaru. "But we're still not sure where Metal Gear is, not to mention we're still deep in a forest that's swarming with armed guards looking for us," she added in a nervous voice.  
  
"You're right about that first part," replied Snake. "But about that second part, I think I can solve that problem. You see, I've been making a mental picture of the layout of this forest as we were walking around, and I think I can figure out where the exit might be. And as for the guards, well, these'll help us with that." Snake reached over and grabbed one of the boxes he had opened and dumped its contents onto the floor. He then held out the empty box in front of him.  
  
Hikaru just stared at him dubiously. "A... cardboard box?" she asked in a perplexed tone. "How's THAT going to help us?"  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
One of the guards walked along a long path in the forest. As he was walking, he noticed something out of the ordinary out of the corner of his eye. "Eh, what's this?" he thought aloud as he walked up to what had piqued his interest. "Hmmmm. Just a couple of boxes," he said dismissively as he continued on his way.   
  
Once he had turned a corner and was gone, the two boxes that had been lying there started to move all of a sudden. They moved down the path, opposite the way the guard had came. They moved as if they were people underneath the boxes......  
  
The boxes stopped at an area where the forest seemed to end and a path up a rocky hill began. The boxes then flew off, revealing the people who had been prancing around under them: Hikaru Shidou and Solid Snake.  
  
For a while, Hikaru just stood there, staring at the carboard box she had been under with a look of utter disbelief. "I just can't BELIEVE all those soldiers fell for that trick!" exclaimed Hikaru, her voice betraying a profound sense of surprise.  
  
"I can," said Snake nonchalantly. "The guards in Zanzibar and Outer Heaven fell for it, and these guys don't seem too bright either."  
  
"Well, at least you were right about being able to find the way out," said Hikaru.  
  
"And not only that, but I think we're also on the right track," stated Snake, pointing to something on the ground. Hikaru looked at what he was hinting at. It was a bootprint that had been left in the muddy ground. A *VERY* large bootprint.  
  
"So she's come this way," deduced Hikaru.  
  
"Yeah, and I bet she knows something, something that she doesn't want US to know," added Snake bitterly. "C'mon, let's find her and get some answers out of her." With that, the two made their way up the rocky path. They both had their weapons out. On this terrain, they could be spotted easily, and had to be ready for a fight at any time. But it looked like luck was with them for now - there wasn't a single guard to be found anywhere. Thus, it was quite uneventful, the first few minutes they were walking up the mountainous path. Still, instead of making Hikaru feel more relieved, the abscene of any opposition made her more nervous.  
  
*At least we're out of that forest,* thought Hikaru, trying to look on the bright side. She looked ahead of them and saw a large gorge ahead of them that they had to pass through in order to continue. But thanks to the infrared vision provided by her goggles, she saw something else up ahead too. Scattered about the middle of the gorge were small, bright dots, and though she was unsure exactly what they were, she figured they weren't good news. "Snake, stop!" cried Hikaru, reaching out and grabbing hold of Snake's arm before he could walk any further.  
  
"Huh? What the? Why?" Snake spurted out, but Hikaru just hushed him and forced him to listen.  
  
"Look, I don't know what it is, but I see a bunch of bright spots on the ground just ahead...." she started to say.  
  
"Damn!" shouted Snake, slapping himself on the forehead. "Now I *KNOW* I'm getting old! I should've figured out there'd be a mine field ahead of us."  
  
"A mine field?!" cried out Hikaru. "Then... how do we get across?"  
  
"Gimme your goggles. I'll show you," instructed Snake. Hikaru complied and promptly removed her thermal goggles. Snake took off his own goggles and put on Hikaru's, then he went over to the center of the gorge and laid down flat on his stomach. Then he began to crawl all around the gorge, disarming the mines and picking them up. After about five minutes, he got up and walked back over to Hikaru, handing her back her goggles. "There. That's done," he said as he put his night vision goggles back on. "Let's keep going."   
  
Hikaru put her thermal goggles back on as he continued to follow Snake, wildly looking about, making sure there were no more mine fields. The next few minutes were spent steadily progressing up the hill, but there was still no sign of any other buildings that could be housing Metal Gear, or of that woman they encountered back at the storage warehouse. "I'm getting tired of wandering," Hikaru thought aloud. "When are we gonna find her?"  
  
"Careful what you wish for, sweetie," came the mocking voice of the woman they encountered earlier, seeming to originate from farther up the hill. Hikaru quickly assumed a fighting stance, her hands gripping her sword tightly. Snake did the same, holding his rifle with both hands, preparing for an attack at any moment. An attack came, but not in the way they were expecting. A metal object fell down near them, and before either of them could move, it exploded, giving off a dizzying flash of light and knocking both of them to the ground.  
  
"Stun grenade," muttered Snake angrily as he lifted up his goggles and rubbed his aching, burning eyes.  
  
"Heh heh heh, do I have your attention now?" came the sardonic voice again.  
  
"Where are you?!" demanded Hikaru bitterly. "Face us!!"  
  
"You've been looking for me, huh?" came the snippy reply. "Well, come on up to the top. I'll be waiting for you!"  
  
"You got it!" Hikaru shot back. "Come on Snake, we've found her. Now let's get some answers," she told him as she took off, heading to the top of the hill.  
  
"Ugh, here we go again," said Snake as he ran after Hikaru. As he ran, he removed his goggles, just in case she tried anything with a stun grenade again, and so Hikaru could attack freely in a fight and not hurt his eyes. Once both of them got to the top, it was clear that this was more of a small plateau instead of a hill; the top was almost an entirely flat surface. The only things that stood out on the flat surface were large rocks that seemed to jut out from the ground, not unlike stalagtites. But nowhere in sight was their quarry. "All right, where the hell is she?" blurted out Snake.  
  
"Up here," came a swift reply. Snake and Hikaru looked up. About twenty meters ahead of them was a twenty meter high stalagtite-like rock. And standing on top of that rock was the woman they were looking for. "Ready or not, here I come!" she shouted out in that peculiar Portuguese accent of hers before leaping off her perch and landing with a noisy crash at the base of the rock. Snake no longer had the aid of the night vision goggles, but there was enough light provided by the moon to allow him to get a good look at her. She was dressed in the same garb as before, but now sported some new sort of weapon. Strapped to her back were two cylindrical storage tanks of some sort, and a long cord from those tanks was attached to a large cannon that she was holding firmly in both hands.  
  
"There's always one," Snake muttered under his breath.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" demanded the woman.  
  
"I mean there's always some big guy with a big gun I have to fight," answered Snake. "Or in your case, a big girl. A regular Amazon."  
  
"Cute, Snake. Very coy," she snapped back, her grip on her weapon visibly tightening.  
  
"I'm curious, though. I'm sure you could've picked us off while we were still making our way up here, yet you let us make it all the way here," said Snake querulously.  
  
"Well, that would've been playing dirty, don't you think?" she replied. "I don't work that way. When I finish off my foes, I prefer to do it face-to-face."  
  
"Yet you killed your own teammate!" snapped Hikaru. The woman turned her steely gaze to Hikaru, which caused her to slightly shudder on the inside.  
  
"Details, details. I did that to keep him from telling you more than he should have," she answered her with a sneer. "Besides, he was as good as dead anyway. I'm sure your friend here would've seen to that." Then she turned to Snake, who had a look of utter contempt on his face, getting pretty annoyed with everyone throwing accusations his way. "Oh, and Snake, about that Amazon comment, well, you're quite correct. I was born of the native tribes of Brazil. That's part of the reason why they call me.... Piranha."  
  
******  
  
Next time: Hikaru & Snake vs. Piranha! Stick around for Chapter 7, won't you. Pretty please?  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	7. Piranha's Bite

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 7: Piranha's Bite  
  
8-16-2003  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
Snake stared down the hulking mercenary who was threatening to utterly defeat them. "Piranha, huh? That's the sort of name that makes your enemies quiver in fear, isn't it?" Snake jested sarcastically.  
  
"And just what kind of weapon is that?!" shouted Hikaru in a demanding tone.  
  
Piranha simply looked at both of them with a cold, stony gaze and said, "Well, let me put it this way: this weapon is the exact opposite of the one used by the the last 'big guy' that Snake faced." She then lifted up her huge cannon and made several motions with her hands, as if preparing the device for usage.  
  
*Hold it,* Snake thought. *Pyro Bison used a big flamethrower. If this thing's the opposite, then....* The warning bells suddenly went off in Snake's head. "Oh no. Hikaru, LOOK OUT!!" he desperately cried out to his newfound friend.  
  
"Too late, Snakey!" yelled Piranha evilly as she lifted her large cannon-like weapon, pointed it at Hikaru, and fired. Out came a quick burst of water at super-high speed. Hikaru flipped to the side a microsecond before it would have hit her, and instead the blast of water slammed into the stalagtite-like rock that had been behind her, making a large crashing sound and sending shattered pieces of stone flying everywhere.  
  
"A... water cannon?" said Hikaru perplexedly, staring at where Piranha's weapon had made such a powerful impact.  
  
"That's right, a water cannon," answered Piranha, her voice filled with fury. "At such high speeds, a stream of water can cut through steel. It'll smash through your puny little body as if it were cardboard!"  
  
"You won't get the chance lady!" cried Snake angrily as he fired his assault rifle at her. But Piranha was able to deftly dash away, avoiding Snake's attack and taking cover behind another rock. "Damn!" he yelled, frustrated.  
  
"How can someone so big move so fast?" Hikaru thought aloud, turning to face Snake. But then Snake noticed her eyes widening. "Snake, BEHIND YOU!" But her warning was unnecessary; Snake had heard the soft, careful footsteps from a few meters behind him. Acting on impulse, Snake took out a grenade, span around, and tossed it. Just as he had sensed, Piranha was sneaking up behind him. Once again, Piranha moved with impossible speed and backed away, but it wasn't enough this time; she was still too close when the grenade went off, evidenced by the loud shriek Snake heard. He wasted no time making a follow-up attack, firing his rifle again at her, but the grenade hadn't slowed her down enough, and she managed to slip away again.  
  
"She's a sneaky one, isn't she?" said Hikaru bitterly. "Maybe we should split up."  
  
"All right," Snake agreed, "I'll take this side of the plateau, you take that one." With that, he went in the direction Piranha had ran off to, and Hikaru went in the opposite direction, looking and listening attentively for any sign of their enemy.  
  
Unfortunately, Hikaru was still trying to get adjusted to the thermal goggles, and by focusing so much on trying to make sense of what she was seeing, she neglected the telltale sounds from above.....  
  
All of a sudden, Hikaru heard something land loudly behind her. Hikaru immediately guessed what it was: Piranha once again jumping down from one of the rock formations. Quickly she turned around and readied her left hand. "Flame...."  
  
That was all she managed to get out. Piranha fired her water cannon at Hikaru before she could discharge her fire spell, and the blast of water hit her dead-center. The impact sent Hikaru flying backward several meters, slamming her into a large rock. Her entire back exploded with white-hot pain from the impact as she slid down to the ground. She was in too much agony to even muster a scream.  
  
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" laughed Piranha evilly, staring down at her fallen prey with a look of pure malice. "Too easy! Now to take care of the Legend."  
  
She didn't have to wait too long to get her chance to try. Snake came rushing at her, heart full of rage and assault rifle at the ready. Without wasting any time to spout off any witty comments of his own, he opened fire on Piranha, emptying the rest of his current ammo clip. Just like Snake expected, she seemed to sense his approach, turning around and moving to avoud his attack. But again, she was just a little too slow, and a few rounds from Snake's rifle struck her in her right hip. She didn't scream in pain, but just covered the gunshot wounds with her left hand, and Snake could see blood dribbling through her fingers. She returned fire, but without both hands on her cannon she couldn't aim as accurately as before, and Snake evaded the deadly bursts of water with even greater ease. He deftly rolled to the side and then ran behind another rock. It wasn't too long before he heard Piranha's footsteps again, and they were heading toward him. *Good, come after me, you bitch. Just as long as you stay away from Hikaru,* he thought angrily as he reloaded his rifle with a fresh clip.  
  
Snake quickly ran out from behind his temporary cover and turned back towards Piranha and fired. Piranha avoid his fire by doing an acrobatic jumping flip to the side with the grace of a gymnast. *Damn, how can someone so big move like that WHEN WOUNDED?!* he thought to himself as he ran behind another rock. *It's obvious that she's not gonna go down easy, so I guess it's time I started playing dirty.* He reached into his pouch and pulled out one of the claymore mines that he had picked up on his way up the plateau. With a smirk, he rearmed it and set it down nearby. "All right, come and get it, you big ogress," he muttered.  
  
Snake waited in that spot until he heard Piranha's footsteps draw extremely close, then he sprinted away. Piranha then rounded the corner, ready to fire her water cannon, but instead received Snake's little 'surprise' - the mine exploded as soon as Piranha stepped within its proximity, and soon after the mine went off, Snake heard a loud thump that must have been Piranha falling down. Snake turned back and cautiously walked forward, his hands tightly on his rifle. Unfortunately, the mine kicked up a lot of dirt, and without his night vision goggles on he couldn't really see well. Snake could feel sweat build up on his hands inside his gloves as he frantically looked around. Suddenly, he sensed movement to his right. He turned and aimed his rifle, but all he got a chance to see was Piranha charging right at him, and closing in fast - too fast. Piranha rammed right into Snake before he could do anything and her momentum easily knocked him down. Snake hit the ground hard, his rifle skidding away several meters and out of reach. Snake reached for his pistol, but before he could get it out of its holster, Piranha reached down and grabbed him by the throat with an unbreakable, choking grip. She easily lifted him up, and then she spun around and tossed him away as if he weighed nothing.  
  
Piranha had meant to throw Snake off of the plateau, and she would have succeeded, had Snake not managed to reach out and grab the edge with both hands. He quickly pulled himself up and drew his pistol. About twenty meters away he could see Piranha, who was slowly approaching again, both hands on her cannon. He saw that she had hastily applied some crude bandage to her gunshot wounds. *What's it going to take to bring her down?* he thought to himself.  
  
"Doubtless you're wondering just what it will take to stop me," spat out Piranha as if she had just read Snake's mind. "Well, at this rate, you'll never manage to beat me."  
  
She had spoken too soon.  
  
"Flame Arrow!"  
  
A roaring jet of flame tore through the night from out of nowhere, and struck Piranha in the upper right side of her body. "Gyyaahhh!!!" she shrieked as she kneeled down on one knee. The fire had mostly impacted with her water tank backpack, but a good portion had hit her right arm, burning it badly.  
  
Snake turned toward the direction the fire had come from. There stood Hikaru, her left arm outstrecthed and steam rising from her hand. She was struggling just to stand up, but there was no way she was going to back down from this battle. "Snake, go get your rifle!" she ordered. "I want another try at her!" Clutching her sword with both hands she boltly darted toward Piranha.  
  
"You.... little runt!" hissed Piranha as she aimed her cannon at Hikaru and fired. But Hikaru simply leaped upwards and over the stream of water. Lifting her sword over her head, she came down with a fierce downward slash. Piranha barely managed to leap aside to the left in time, and Hikaru's sword came down instead on a large rock, shattering it to pieces. Wasting no time, Hikaru turned to her left and charged at Piranha again, but she was ready for her. Piranha blocked Hikaru's sword swipe with her cannon, and then pushed forward, forcing Hikaru away about a meter. She then made her counterattack, delivering a vicious left hook to Hikaru's face and knocked her down to the ground.   
  
Hikaru's head was reeling, she was seeing stars, her jaw felt like it had been dislocated and she could taste her own blood, but there was no way she was going to give up. Blocking out the pain, she got back on her feet and backflipped away from Piranha before she could attack her again. She thrust the tip of her sword into the ground and leaped forward, using her sword like a pole vault and delivering a flying kick to Piranha's face. Her foot slammed into her jaw with a satisfying smack and knocked her backwards a good distance. Hikaru landed on her feet, and noticed Piranha was bleeding effusively from her mouth, just like she was, but there was no time to dwell on stuff like that. Hikaru whacked Piranha's gunshot wounds with her sword, using it like a baseball bat, and she let out an earsplitting howl. "That's it, I'm going to tear you apart!" she yelled, taking a swipe at Hikaru with her cannon, but Hikaru simply backflipped away twice to put a lot of distance between her and Piranha. Piranha then fired her water cannon wildly at Hikaru, but yet again she managed to foil her plans. Hikaru dodged all the shots with ridiculous ease, the blasts of water harmlessly whizzing past her.  
  
And Piranha had been so focused on shooting at Hikaru that she had totally forgotten about Snake. Definitely a fatal mistake. He had recovered his rifle and had been watching and waiting for the right time to strike, and he decided that that time was now. Snake aimed at Piranha's right leg and opened fire. The bullets tore through her leg and she immediately dropped to one knee again. Snake then stepped forward and stood beside Hikaru, and took a good look at his comrade, noticing that she was bleeding from her mouth. "You OK?" he asked her.  
  
"I'll live," she replied, wiping away the blood trickling down her chin.  
  
"Not for much longer!" shouted Piranha as she opened fire again on the duo. Hikaru and Snake scrambled out of the way to avoid her rabid attack. She then tried sending out a large stream of water and sweeping the area with it, but Snake and Hikaru ducked and let it pass over them. Instead, the stream cut through one of the stalagtites, and it crashed noisily onto the plateau.  
  
"OK, that's it!" cried Hikaru, having had her fill of Piranha and her water cannon antics. "Flame Arrow!" she shouted, sending out another blast of flame. Her spell slammed right into Piranha, knocking her backward and right into a rock, much like how Piranha's water cannon had done to her earlier. ""What goes around comes around, huh? You're lucky I only put enough power in that blast to knock you out."  
  
Piranha stood back up and attempted to and fire again, but she had received way too much punishment at the hands of both Hikaru and Snake, and couldn't muster the effort to fight any longer. Her shaky hands dropped the water cannon and it clattered onto the ground. She then slumped down into a sitting position, leaning onto the rock for support.  
  
"You got me," she muttered angrily, her voice filled with despair. "Round two to you and your little playmate, Snake." Hikaru frowned at the indignity of being called Snake's 'playmate', but she bit her lip and kept quiet about it.  
  
"Alright you, enough is enough," spat Snake. "We've trekked through an entire jungle and climbed this plateau to find you, and..."  
  
"Oooooh, so you've come all this way, looking for me?" Piranha cut in in a sardonic voice. "Awww, I feel so special...."  
  
"Don't play games with me lady," replied Snake acidly. "You shot your own comrade to keep him from saying anything else - and my gut tells me it's something really significant about this base. We tracked you down all the way here to find just what's going on here, SO SPILL IT!"  
  
"Well, isn't it kind of obvious?" Piranha said derisively. "You heard what Joey said before I shot him."  
  
Hikaru decided to speak up. "He seemed to say that he's not part of the U.S. army."  
  
"Exactly," was Piranha's swift reply.  
  
"But Army Chief of Staff Parker's cronies are in charge of this base!" cried Snake "He's the one who built another Metal Gear here in secret."  
  
"True, they DID run this base. That is, until WE took it from them," said Piranha, her mouth curling into a cold, cruel smile.  
  
"What exactly do you mean by 'we'?" asked Hikaru.  
  
"You must be part of some terrorist group, and you're planning to use Metal Gear to your own ends," deduced Snake.  
  
"Well, you're right about us planning to put Metal Gear to good use," answered Piranha, "but that part about being terrorists, that's a bit harsh," said Piranha.  
  
"As far as I'm concerned, anyone who wants to use Metal Gear - for anything - is guilty of being a terrorist," Snake shot back. *Including those manipulative monsters Parker and Gardner,* he silently added.  
  
"Think whatever you want, Snake. But we've got big plans for that walking hunk of metal, plans we're going to put into action real soon."  
  
"And what exactly are those plans?" asked Hikaru interrogatively, eager to discover what this woman intended to use Metal Gear for so that she and Snake could stop her plans.  
  
"That's for me to know and for you two to find out," replied Piranha. She reached into her pant pocket, and then pulled out something. Hikaru immediately recognized it to be another security card, clearly marked with a big number three. The blood that was on her hands now covered the card as well. With a flick of her wrist, she flung it towards Hikaru and Snake. "That level 3 card will get you into the base's research facility, located to the west of this plateau," she explained, pointing westward. "You want a better idea of what's going on here? Go there. The one in charge of the facility will gladly tell you everything..... after she's beaten the living crap out of both of you."  
  
"You seem awfully confident about that," said Hikaru.  
  
"That's because I have reason to be. You think I'M tough? You haven't seen anything until you've seen good ol' Trudy in action." She then stared at Hikaru. "By the way kid, how's your jaw?" she asked with mock concern.  
  
Hikaru just gritted her teeth and shot back a scornful look of her own, but didn't say anything. Snake, however, did have something to say. "Why should we bother tracking down this Trudy to get the information we need? We can just get it from you," said Snake as he picked up the security card.  
  
"Because I don't plan to stay here with you two much longer," said Piranha.  
  
"Ummm, it doesn't look to me like you're in any condition to go anywhere," pointed out Hikaru.  
  
"I know. I was just stalling you two until my ride got here," answered Piranha. "And I think I hear it approaching now."  
  
"Huh?" said Snake, confused. Then he heard it: the sound of helicopter blades.... getting closer. He looked up to see something that had become all too familiar to him: a Hind D attack helicopter. And it was closing in on their position fast. "Aw hell," he muttered under his breath as he turned around, grabbed Hikaru by the arm and ran for cover. They barely made it behind a tall rock in time before the Hind D attacked with its machine gun, its rapid fire impacting noisily all over the plateau. After a while though, the noise abruptly stopped, and from the sound of things, the Hind was staying in one place. Snake stayed safely behind cover with Hikaru for a long time before deciding to risk peeking out from behind cover and seeing what was going on. He immediately didn't like what he saw: the Hind had dropped a rope ladder and Piranha had climbed onto it, and now the helicopter was flying away. Piranha was escaping! "Hikaru! She's getting away!" he shouted to her. Hikaru jumped out from behind the rock and saw the Hind fly off with their defeated foe. She watched the helicopter disappear into the distance, taking their only possible source of information with it. "Why didn't you try to shoot it down?" questioned Snake harshly.   
  
"What's the point?" replied Hikaru, shrugging her shoulders. "If I had blasted that helicopter, I probably would've killed Piranha and the pilot, and I'm sure you want us to kill as few people as possible." Snake lowered his head. She was right about that. "Besides, we hurt her pretty badly. I doubt we'll have to worry about running into her again."  
  
"I suppose you're right," said Snake.  
  
"But still, we're back where we started," said Hikaru, frustrated. "We lost the only lead we had, and we still have absolutely no idea where we need to go."  
  
"Wrong. Next we head west to that research facility Piranha mentioned," stated Snake, holding up the blood-stained security card.  
  
"How do we know she was telling us the truth?" asked a worried Hikaru.  
  
"From the look in her eyes, I could pretty much tell she wasn't lying to us," answered Snake.   
  
"She could be leading us into a trap," pointed out Hikaru.  
  
"You're right, it is a trap. I could tell she WANTED us to head that way. But right now, we don't have much choice. We still need to know Metal Gear's location, and we'll have to find this Trudy to get it."  
  
******  
  
Stick around for Chapter 8: You'll be in for a shocking twist!  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	8. Out Of Control

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 8: Out Of Control  
  
9-7-2003  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
Hikaru waited patiently, her back flat against the large rock she was using as cover. In just a few more seconds, Snake would be in position, and then Hikaru could act. She peered around the side of the rock, putting back on her thermal goggles - there he was, the guard that was their only obstacle to getting out of the rocky terrain and heading west. Hikaru darted back behind cover, ready to put their plan into action. But all of a sudden, some instinct, some sixth sense, SOMETHING told Hikaru that someone else was coming. Then she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, confirming her suspicions. She peeked out from behind the rock again to see something walking up to the guard.  
  
"Alright, I'm here to relieve you Jack," she heard the new guard say.  
  
"Finally. I'm getting nervous patrolling this area. I was told those two intruders would be heading through here for the research facility," replied the first guard. Hikaru's lips curled into a wry smirk. "I even heard they did in the Twins and beat the livin' hell out of Piranha," he continued.  
  
"That they did," said the relieving guard. "But the funny thing is, they thought this place is still being run by the U.S. Army," he continued, his voice betraying a profound sense of amusement.  
  
"You mean, they don't KNOW?!" exclaimed the first guard. "Totally clueless.... whoever's the one giving them orders obviously didn't tell them everything." Hikaru frowned at hearing this. He had a point - it was looking like Future hadn't exactly told her and Snake everything about what was going on here. "Well, I'm outta here. Keep an eye out for those two dopes," he said as he walked away down the ravine that led west. The ravine that only the new guard was blocking.  
  
*You think they'd put more personnel along this path if they know we'll be coming this way, especially after seeing what we can do,* thought Hikaru. *Well, their mistake!* Now that the first guard was gone, it was time to take out his relief. She pulled her Escudo sword out of her glove ornament and loudly rapped the side of the rock with it.  
  
She then heard the guard say "Huh? What was that noise?" and start walking toward her position. But that didn't worry her in the slightest, for she knew Snake was lying in wait. And sure enough, she soon heard "Urrgh!", the sounds of a brief scuffle, and the sound of a body dropping to the ground. Hikaru walked out from behind cover to see Snake standing over the unconscious guard.  
  
"That's over with," said Snake. "Now we can finally move on. By the way, did you hear what they said?" he asked.  
  
"Every single word. And they were right. It seems we were thrown into this mess without knowing all the details," replied Hikaru. *Just like last time,* she added silently.  
  
"Well, when Future briefed me about this mission, she made it sound like I had to hurry up and destroy Metal Gear before it fell into the wrong hands," stated Snake. "Guess she neglected to mention that it already has."  
  
"Then we had better get moving," said Hikaru, taking off down the ravine. Snake sighed, and quickly followed his spunky little partner.  
  
It wasn't long before the two found themselves once again in the middle of a densely forested area. And once again, it was crawling with guards keeping a lookout for them. *Looks like they're taking us more seriously than I first thought,* Hikaru mused silently as she layed flat on the ground beside Snake in a patch of tall grass, hidden from the view of the guard who was passing them by. Once he was gone, they got up and ran in the opposite direction the guard had came from, only to stop abruptly once they heard the sound of leaves and twigs being crunched underfoot from up ahead. Snake and Hikaru dashed behind a large tree and waited for this guard to pass by as well before continuing. Eventually, she did, completely oblivious to the deadly duo of spies hiding behind the tree she absent-mindedly walked past.  
  
"Piranha was anxious for us to get to this research facility, yet these people seem to be hell-bent on making sure we don't make it there," said Snake, commenting on the insane amount of guards patrolling the area. Hikaru had to agree with him. This forest had way more guards than the one they had trekked through earlier. It was enough to make Hikaru doubt that they'd me able to make it through unnoticed. She had already blundered once before - making noise and getting spotted by the enemy - and was extremely worried about making another costly mistake. Again, she was starting to think that she was becoming a liability, slowing Snake down. What if?...  
  
A massive, agonizing headache struck Hikaru yet again, causing her to fall down to her knees, clutching her head with both hands. It took every bit of effort she could muster to not let loose a scream. This headache... was the worst one yet! The pain was so intense, she couldn't move or even think. "Hikaru, what's wrong?" asked Snake worriedly.  
  
"I-It's another headache... th-the w-worst yet!" Hikaru managed to splutter out. She was no good to Snake this way. As far as she was concerned, he had no choice but to leave her behind. "Snake, l-leave me," she got out in choked gasps. "I-I'll slow you down...."  
  
Snake cut her off. "Hell. No." He then reached down and effortlessly picked up Hikaru and slung her over his left shoulder. Then with his right hand, he drew his silenced pistol, and then continued on towards the research facility.  
  
"S-Snake... why?" asked Hikaru wanly, still in severe pain.  
  
"Because there's no way I'm letting history repeat itself, that's why," he answered silently. Snake had a quick flashback, seeing Natasha Marcova and Jimmy Harks die right before his eyes and how he couldn't do anything to prevent their deaths. No chance in hell he'd let Hikaru suffer at the hands of the enemy. Not on his watch. He'd get Hikaru out of here alive, no matter what.  
  
Hikaru struggled with the severe, burning pain, trying not to pass out entirely as Snake carried her through the forest. She couldn't believe it - she had once again become a hindrance, slowing Snake down and fouling up their mission. Hikaru knew how important it was that Metal Gear was destroyed, and how badly Snake wanted that mechanical abomination wiped out of existence. And now her weakness could be keeping them from achieving their goal....  
  
And then, it happened again. That energy from before, booming clangorously within her, trying to burst free again. This time, however, it was much more powerful than the last time this energy came bubbling to the surface. It felt as if she was going to explode.  
  
Snake soon became aware of the fact that something was terribly wrong with Hikaru. He could feel her body beginning to heat up, and could feel the intense heat even through his insulated suit. "What the?!" he exclaimed, lifting Hikaru's limp body off his shoulder and setting her down at the base of a tree. Now Snake could see that something was obviously wrong. Hikaru body seemed to be glowing! Snake took off his night-vision goggles and looked at Hikaru again - there was no mistake, Hikaru's body was in a state of incandescence, giving off intense heat and light. The very air around her seemed to crackle with power. "Hikaru, what the hell is going on?!" demanded Snake.  
  
"It's h-happening again, Snake," she replied in a strained, frightened voice as she fought to keep this energy under control and contained within her. But it was a futile battle, and Hikaru knew it. "It's that new power. I-I can't control it!!" she screamed as tears began to run down her cheeks. Tears that soon evaporated right off her skin from the intense heat her body was giving off.   
  
Snake just stood there, dumbfounded. Yet again, here he was right in front of his would-be comrade-in-arms, and totally powerless to do anything to help. "Hikaru..." he muttered under his breath unable to think of anything he could do.  
  
Meanwhile, Hikaru still laid against the base of the tree, trying to contain this boundless energy that had been unlocked within her. But no matter how hard she tried to keep her power under control, it still managed to get closer to breaking free, despite her efforts. Eventually, it reached a point where she knew it was inevitable. "S-Snake, get away from me," Hikaru stammered. "I'm-I'm going t-to.....YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Hikaru's entire body seemed to explode with pure energy. A brilliant flash of white light filled Snake's entire vision, and then he felt his body being knocked backwards several meters, as if he had been struck by some invisible force. When Snake got up and looked back at Hikaru, his jaw dropped from the shock of what he saw. Hikaru had managed to stand up again, but her body was again glowing with white light, far brighter than she had been previously. Not only that, but tendrils of fire and energy seemed to lash out from her body, engulfing whatever they touched into flames. The tree she had been leaning on was now ablaze, and just about everything within a five-foot radius of her was also on fire. The light from her body and the fire was so great, the entire area was illuminated as if it was the middle of the day, rather than the dead of night.   
  
Snake didn't understand how this had happened, or what he could do about it. The only thought that was in his head was that he had to get to Hikaru. He carefully walked toward her, calling her name, trying to reassure her, but it wasn't doing any good. Hikaru kept motioning for him to move back, and kept screaming "Get away! Get away!"   
  
But Snake ignored her, determined to do something, to not just sit back and let this disaster just happen. "Hikaru, try and contain it! You have to try!" he shouted at her.  
  
"NO!!! I CAN'T!!" she shrilled as everything around her continued to burn, fueled by the energy pouring out of her. She felt as if her bones had been replaced with white-hot iron, and like her muscles would going to pop clear out of her skin. And worse, she felt another surge of power coming, this one ever greater than the last. "NO!!! SNAKE, GET AWAY!! ANOTHER ONE IS C--AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" That was all she got out before a second explosion of energy issued forth from her body, once again blinding Snake and sending him flying through the air even farther back, slamming his backside against a tree.  
  
"Ow. That hurt," said Snake, rubbing his aching back as he waited for the stars swirling around his eyes to go away. "Now what the hell do I do?" he then asked out loud to no one in particular.   
  
As if to answer his question, he heard the cries of approaching guards. "What the hell is going on over there!" and "It must be that little red-headed bitch!" and "We better get hold of our special new gimmick!" were some of the things he was able to make out.  
  
*Oh crap,* Snake thought to himself. He had been so focused on helping Hikaru, that he neglected to realize that Hikaru's outbreak of power would have most definitely attracted the attention of everyone else in the woods. He looked back to where Hikaru still stood. Her body was still resonating with that strange energy, and the radius around her in which everything was ablaze had become even greater. There was absolutely no way he could get to Hikaru, and he couldn't fight off all the guards that would be here in mere seconds. He had only one option: fall back. If the enemy got to him too, then there'd be no one left to take out Metal Gear. It was cold, yes, but still, Snake knew he had no choice. *Hikaru, forgive me,* he thought bitterly as he retreated further into the forest, away from Hikaru's blast zone.  
  
Soon Snake found a large, tall tree that would serve as excellent cover. He quickly climbed it to get a good view of what was happening. After hearing that guard bragging about their 'special new gimmick', he decided he should see what these guards planned to do, especially since he had a suspicion what it was. Soon enough, he saw several guards closing in on Hikaru's position, wearing apparatuses that looked a lot like Piranha's water pump backpack. Once they had surrounded her, they opened fire. Foam sprayed out from their hoses, completely engulfing Hikaru. *Just as I thought,* thought Snake glumly, *flame-retardant foam.* Snake continued to watch helplessly as they continued to bombard Hikaru with the foam, snuffing out the flames surrounding her body and all the fire she had caused. He watched as Hikaru writhed powerlessly from within the foam, and slump unconscious to the ground. Listening attentively, he was able to hear one of the guards say, "YES! We got her! Let's take her to the research facility! Trudy'll have a ball dissecting this bitch!"   
  
*So, they're going to take her to the research facility we were heading for, huh?* thought Snake, still mad at himself about how he hadn't been able to do anything. Fueled by his rage, he resolved to follow Hikaru's captors to the research facility and rescue his partner. Jumping down from his hiding place, he took off after them, determined not to fail.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
When Hikaru finally regained consciousness, she found herself lying down on a cold metal floor. She quickly recalled losing control of her mysterious new ability and how enemy troops came and bombarded her with some sort of foam. She had no idea how long she had been out or where she was now, but she resolved to immediately get back to work and finish the mission. Slowly, gingerly, she opened her eyes and carefully stood up.   
  
Surprisingly, it wasn't too difficult to do so. She quickly glanced around her, taking in her surroundings, and again receiving a bit of a surprise. After being captured by the enemy, she assumed she would have been thrown into some sort of prison cell. Yet she now found herself in some sort of hallway - a dark and dreary one at that. The walls were of a dark, navy blue color and it was dimly lit, thanks to the sparse fluorescent lighting in the ceiling. Instinctively, Hikaru reached for the infrared goggles on her head, only to find they were not there. Then she remembered the outburst of intense heat, and reasoned her googles and every other piece of equipment she had been carrying must have been vaporized.  
  
Hikaru then noticed that her clothes and armor were still intact. "How the?!" she thought out loud. "How come my clothes didn't burn up?!" She considered it for a minute, and then remembered how Future had said she would help prepare her for this job 'in subtler ways'. "Well, I guess if she can transport me through time and hotwire my brain so I can speak English, she can also make my clothes fireproof."  
  
Deciding not to dwell on it, Hikaru figured it was best to get moving. It was still unnerving how they seemed to have left lying around in some hallway instead of locking her up. They must have had some reason, but she had no idea what it could be, and that's what made her nervous. Still, she wouldn't get anything done by just standing there. Drawing her sword out of her glove ornament, Hikaru began to walk down the dark, dreary hallway.  
  
From her previous experiences on this base, Hikaru had learned very quickly that she needed to move around carefully to stay alive. She peeked around every hallway corner, crawled over floor gratings so she wouldn't make noise, and took other precautions, but as she continued on, it all seemed to be unnecessary. The winding, mazelike hallways were completely devoid of any activity; no guards patrolling the halls, no infrared beams coming out of the walls, not even a single surveillance camera. Something was definitely not right here, and it was making Hikaru more and more apprehensive by the minute.  
  
Hikaru had come across several doors, but all of them had an electronic lock, and she didn't have any keycards. Eventually, though, she found a door that opened automatically as she stepped near it. Deciding that it was worth a look, Hikaru slowly stepped inside, ready to act in case there were some nasty surprises waiting for her. But there were no drone guns on the wall or soldiers lying in ambush or anything like that, so Hikaru relaxed a little and took a good look around her. It was a pretty large room, around twenty by thirty meters, Hikaru guessed, and there were few rows of black, long horizontal tables, with sinks installed in them. It sort of reminded her of the chemistry and biology labs back at her junior high school. *Could this be the research facility?* she wondered.  
  
Just then, she heard the door behind her slide open, and someone walk in. Hikaru whirled around to face whoever it was, but she wasn't quick enough. She didn't even have enough time to get a look at whoever it was - the next thing she knew, she got the wind knocked out of her and was flying backward. She slid a few feet along the metal flooring and soon skidded painfully to a halt, then got up and finally got a look at her attacker. She couldn't make out too much because of the dingy lighting, but she could see it was a very tall and muscular blond-haired man, who was clad in a some sort of black combat suit. "Who are you?!" she demanded, gripping her sword tightly with both hands and ready for action.  
  
The man didn't reply. He just lifted his right arm, and then Hikaru felt herself knocked back again by some invisible force, as if the man had hit her with some sort of sonic wave. She quickly got up and resumed a battle-ready stance, but this time she noticed someone else was now in the room. A big, hulking man with white hair and moustache, and some sort of cannon attached to some sort of backpack apparatus. And that weapon was aimed right at her. *Uh-oh,* thought Hikaru as she immediately leapt to the side as the other man fired his weapon. A searing jet of chemical flame narrowly missed hitting Hikaru dead-on.  
  
"What?! A flamethrower?!" Hikaru thought aloud. *Wait a minute, didn't Snake say Pyro Bison used a flamethrower? He looks an awful lot like the guy Snake described. And could that other guy be Black Arts Viper? But Snake killed them about a year ago - well, in this time. What's going on?!*  
  
It wasn't long before Hikaru's mystery guests took the offensive again. Both the Viper-lookalike and the Bison-lookalike fired their weapons at her. Hikaru deftly jumped and backflipped over one of the tables, and they hit the table instead, Viper's sonic wave smashing part of it to splinters and Bison's flamethrower burst singing it. Hikaru realized she'd have to fight fire with fire. "Flame Arrow!" she yelled, shooting her spell at them.   
  
The Viper-lookalike dodged by jumping to the right and the Bison-lookalike jumped the left. There was a sudden, blinding flash of light. Hikaru instinctively shielded her eyes with her free arm. But then, she sensed someone approaching her from left. She quickly turned to the left, but once again, she was too slow. The Viper-lookalike unleashed yet another sonic wave, this one the most powerful yet. Hikaru screamed as the force of the energy wave floored her and caused her to drop her sword. Every muscle in her body ached and see was seeing stars floating around in front of her eyes. She simply could not muster the strength to get up. Then she heard the footsteps of the Bison-lookalike behind her, getting closer. If she couldn't get up and soon, he'd undoubtedly use his flamethrower on her and burn her to a crisp. But at she was, there was no way she could even move without extreme pain shooting throughout her body. "I-It can't end like this," she said softly under her breath. Then she heard Bison fire his weapon and felt the flames surround her.  
  
Hikaru expected to be incinerated on the spot, but instead, the flames seemed to touch her without doing any damage whatsoever. She could feel the intense heat, but the fire wasn't burning her at all. Her clothes couldn't possibly protect her like this, could they. No, wait, something was definitely happening. The pain from the Viper-lookalike's attack had faded away, and the exhaustion she had felt earlier was gone. And the flames, instead of killing her, felt soothing and invigorating. It was as if the flames were recharging her entire body!  
  
Soon Hikaru found the strength to stand up again. She could feel that same energy from before, that feeling of containing raw, explosive power. But unlike the last time, she felt as if she could keep a lid on it, calling it forth only when she desired.   
  
Hikaru looked from one lookalike to another; both had expressions that betrayed utter confusion. Hikaru decided to take advantage of that and take them out now before they could strike again. She lifted both her arms up, and tapped into that strange new power. White-hot bolts of energy shot out of both her hands, striking both lookalikes dead center. Her blasts caused the Bison-lookalike's fuel tank to explode, killing him instantly, and she saw the Viper-lookalike crumple to the floor as well.   
  
She stood there for a moment, shocked at realizing she still couldn't control this new ability very well - she had meant to incapacitate them, not kill them. Gathering her wits, Hikaru walked over to the felled Viper-lookalike. There was a large burnmark on his chest where her energy blast had burned clear through his combat suit. The wound looked ghastly, but not fatal. Hikaru understood why her blast could have ruptured the Bison-lookalike's fuel tank and killed him, but the Viper-lookalike's wound didn't seem that serious. "Just what is going on here?!" Hikaru thought out loud.  
  
Hikaru didn't receive any answers. Instead, she heard a loud thump behind her, as if someone had dropped down from the ceiling. *Oh great, someone else who wants a piece of me,* she thought as she turned around to face whoever it was. But for the third time in a row, she wasn't fast enough. But instead of getting hit with a sonic wave, all she was greeted with was the blackness and silence of unconsciousness.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
The guard standing outside the back entrance of the base's research facility shifted nervously. What was that sound he had just heard? Probably just some small animal. Or his imagination playing tricks on him. It couldn't be.... him. Dismissing the noise, he returned his attention to his patrolling duties.   
  
But before he could take a single step, he felt a powerful hand clasp over his mouth and another hand clamp down on his throat, preventing him from making any sound. In the next instant, he felt his head get jerked sideways and heard the grisly snap of his own neck. Then everything went black.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
Snake dragged the guard's lifeless body into the woods where it wouldn't be found for quite some time, then ran back to the facility's back door and took out the level 3 security card he obtained from Piranha. He slid the blood-stained card through the electronic lock and it flashed the green light, and noisily slid open. Snake took one last look around him to make sure no guards had tailed him, then took a quick peek through the door before rushing in.   
  
The enemy troops sure hadn't made it easy to follow their trail back to the research facility, sending reserves to fan out and search for him, drastically slowing him down. It had taken over an hour to get past them all, but he had finally reached his goal. And now he was going to rescue Hikaru, no matter what!  
  
******  
  
Stick around for Chapter 9! Snake's gonna bust Hikaru out of the research facility, or die trying!  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	9. Guardian Angel

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 9: Guardian Angel  
  
10-19-2003  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
For the second time that night, Hikaru awoke to find herself sprawled out on a cold metal floor. As she staggered in an attempt to get up, she looked around, trying to figure out where she was. This time, she found her location to be even less desirable than before. This was an extremely small, enclosed room, about two meters by three meters, and on one of the 2 meter sides, instead of a wall, was a thick, mechanical sliding door, with only a small window - about 30 centimeters by 30 centimeters - with which to look outside.  
  
  
  
However, instead of looking through the tiny window, Hikaru took the time to examine the door blocking the way out of her cell. Hikaru guessed it was at least twenty centimeters thick, and was made up of an extremely strong metal; it would probably take more than just one of her fire spells to bring it down. Hikaru was able to try and do just that, but then, she realized something very, VERY strange....   
  
She had just ascertained all that information about the door - without even touching it! It was as if she somehow KNEW how thick and how strong it was! Hikaru quickly tried to recollect what she had just done, and came to the bizarre conclusion that - improbable and impossible as it sounded - she had reached out and touched the door with HER MIND!! As if she could somehow SENSE the strength and thickness of the metal door. Metal.... She looked all around her, at the metal walls and ceiling, discovering that she could 'feel' them too.... Yes, that was it, she could actually reach out and sense the walls and ceilings around her with her mind. Not only that, it all 'felt' the same, like the walls and ceilings were all constructed of the same metal as the cell door.  
  
Being the bright little girl that she was, she soon realized it all must have something to do with her newly surfaced power. Metal is an excellent conductor of heat, and her new powers were based upon heat. Her new power was not only that her body could absorb and redirect thermal energy, but also let her reach out and sense anything around her that could conduct heat. *Well, that could certainly be useful. Once I get out of here, that is.* Hikaru backed away from the door, preparing to blast her way out of her prison. But before Hikaru could call upon her magic, a sharp, biting voice rang in her ears through a concealed intercom.  
  
"I would advise against trying to free yourself, my dear. If you do, the consequences could be... messy," came a woman's voice - one with a heavy British accent.   
  
"Who are you? Show yourself!" Hikaru demanded angrily.  
  
"I'm right here," came the voice again, this time followed by a tapping sound from the other side of the window on the door. Hikaru turned to look through the glass to see who she was. At first glance, Hikaru could have sworn it was Fuu, as the woman had blonde hair and glasses. But upon closer examination, it was clear that this wasn't her dear friend Fuu. She had short, cropped hair, and her hair was a bleach-blonde color, unlike Fuu's sandy blonde hair. And instead of deep, emerald-like eyes, this woman's eyes were a very dark brown. Almost black.  
  
"I see you've finally recovered," said the mysterious woman. "Good to see I wasn't too hard on you when I rendered you unconscious."   
  
Hikaru then remembered how she had sensed someone approaching her from behind after that previous battle, right before blacking out. But how was she able to take her out so quickly and so easily? Uncertainty and her nervousness considering her present situation conspired to make Hikaru unable to think of anything to say.  
  
"Well, anyway, since you're awake, you can answer a few questions for me," she continued, looking at Hikaru in such a way that it unnerved her slightly.  
  
"Like what?" asked Hikaru. She didn't like where this was going. It was obvious that this woman was about to pump her for information, and Hikaru had a bad feeling she had methods to get what she wanted out of her. Hikaru realized that she would have to play along, but was determined to only give her the bare minimum of what she wanted.  
  
As the woman replied, it was evident that Hikaru was right about her intentions to interrogate her. "Well, for a start, just who the bloody hell are you, what are you doing with Snake, and who sent you here to the Sierra Outpost?"  
  
Uh-oh. Those were questions that - despite being quite basic - were very tricky ones to answer. And that last one, well, even if she gave her the truthful answer, there was no way she would actually believe her. *Better start with the first two,* she thought. Aloud, she said, "The name's Hikaru. And as for me and Snake, well, we're... old friends." She hesitated before saying those last two words, unsure if they really would apply to someone she had only known for a few hours. But then, she remembered how she had instantly bonded with Umi and Fuu after knowing them for only a short time. Hikaru truly felt as if history had repeated itself when she met Snake.  
  
"'Old friends?'" she repeated with disbelief. "Snake certainly has some unusual friends," retorted Hikaru's interrogator. "A vertically-challenged teenage Asian girl isn't the type of person I'd figure a man like Snake would be friends with, let alone have accompany him on a mission to destroy a Metal Gear." She paused briefly, looking at Hikaru's disgruntled expression. "But then again, you aren't any ordinary girl, are you? I was observing you when you fought that mini-Metal Gear, and I heard Piranha's account of her battle with you. Such extraordinary abilities.... where did you get such awesome power?!"  
  
How was Hikaru supposed to tell this woman her fire magic had been bestowed upon her by a master sorceror from another world, not to mention she had just gotten an entirely new set of powers? Hikaru simply said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
  
"Refusing to tell me your little secret, eh? Well, naturally you wouldn't want that sort of knowledge getting out. No matter, I've already gotten a fairly good idea about the source of your power. If you'll kindly observe...." she replied, and then turned and walked away from the window. Hikaru walked up to her side of the window to get a good look at what she was talking about. Now Hikaru could see that she was wearing some sort of white coat, which swayed as she walked over to some sort of table. A table that had a computer monitor on it. And on that monitor, there was a graphical design being displayed. She instantly recognized what it was: the model of a DNA double helix.  
  
"This," said the woman, turning back to face Hikaru and waving her hand over the computer screen, "is you. Or at least, a representation of your genome. I took the liberty of taking a cell sample from you while you were unconscious so I could study your genes," she continued to explain, as if she was giving a lecture to a college class, and clearly enjoying flouting her intellectual prowess. "After doing so, I noticed some interesting irregularities in your genetic makeup. To be specific, the genes encoded with the information about how your body handles energy. Namely thermal energy."  
  
Hikaru just stared blankly at the rotating double-helix model. This didn't make any sense. She got her powers from Clef, and magic doesn't get encoded in your DNA, does it? Or maybe it was a side-effect of her receiving fire magic in the first place, altering her DNA afterwards. That could be why she now had a second set of powers. Didn't Future say that she would help bring a dormant power of hers to the surface? Maybe she somehow activated dormant genes that got altered when Clef gave her the gift of fire magic.  
  
"So as you can see, I don't need you to tell me where you received your powers. By studying your genetic makeup, I'll eventually disciver the answer myself." She then giddily chuckled to herself, as if her greatest wish had just been fulfilled. "Actually, it's quite fortunate that you've come here. Study of your cells may allow me to overcome the greatest hurdle I've encountered with my latest project. A project which you're quite familiar with already."  
  
"Huh?!" cried Hikaru in a confused tone. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm talking about those two men you fought earlier," she replied. "They were Black Arts Viper and Pyro Bison, in a sense. They were clones, created from DNA samples taken of the members of Black Chamber years ago. I had them battle you to once again test your abilities, as well as test the effectiveness of my cloning process."  
  
Hikaru was aghast. She had taken the DNA of dead soldiers and made clones out of them, for no other purpose than to fight her?! "How could you?!" demanded Hikaru. "You made clones just to fight me, knowing very well they might get killed?!"  
  
"Don't you dare get all 'holier-than-thou' with me, little girl!!" her captor snapped harshly, irritated about being accused of moral wrongdoing. "It's not like they were actually the genuine article - a clone without the mind of the original is only an extension, a mere shell of its former self. And besides, it was you and Snake who killed the Cyborg Twins, was it not?!!!" Hikaru looked away in shame; she was right about that. She continued on with her explanation. "I needed my clones to engage you in combat to discover if my hypothesis about the way your cells absorb heat was correct, and to see how severe the problem I have with my cloning process was."  
  
"What problem?" asked Hikaru, suddenly a bit interested.  
  
"Their cells have an extremely low tolerance to extreme heat, causing them to break up and destroy themselves. That's what I hope to fix by researching your DNA; hopefully my research will yield some method of correcting that flaw," she explained, a broad grin forming on her face.  
  
Oh great. Now she was going to involuntarily play a part in having her enemy perfect her research. "Just who are you?!!" yelled Hikaru.  
  
"You don't know?" the woman asked calmly. "I thought Piranha had told you and Snake all about me. My name is Gertrude Nolan, but please, just call me Trudy," she said, smiling with mock friendliness.  
  
The warning bells instantly went off in Hikaru's mind. That was... the name of the person that she and Snake came here to the research facility to find, after hearing from Piranha that she'd reveal to them information if they managed to defeat her. And Piranha also mentioned that this Trudy was extremely dangerous. *Well, for what it's worth, I found her,* Hikaru thought to herself. *Now to get out of here and take her down.* Again she backed away from the cell door - the only thing standing between her and Trudy - and prepared to call upon her fire magic to blast it away.  
  
Her actions did not go unnoticed by Trudy, who said contemptuously, "Didn't I tell you that it would be a bad idea to try and break out of that cell?"  
  
"Why not?" asked Hikaru defiantly. "I don't really see anything preventing me from trying."  
  
"Oh dear me, how could I have forgotten?" said Trudy. Hikaru was about to ask what she was talking about when she heard an electronic buzzing sound, then several clicking sounds from above. She looked up to see ventilation ducts had now appeared, and some strange, transparent, pink gas was seeping into the room. Fearing that it was poison gas, Hikaru quickly sucked in her breath and held it, but Trudy spoke up once again. "Don't be alarmed, my dear. That gas is not poisonous. It merely serves to keep you from using your powers and breaking free."  
  
Hikaru didn't believe her and kept on holding her breath, but she couldn't hold it for too long, and eventually took an instinctive deep breath. The gas had a funny smell to it, but it wasn't making her sick or dizzy, so maybe Trudy had told the truth. But before she could try breaking out, Trudy spoke up again. "If you will look through the window again, I shall demonstrate why using your powers would be a foolish course of action." Hikaru grudgingly decided to see just what Trudy was talking about. Peering through the window, she saw that next to the computer, Trudy had set up some sort of sealed glass jar. Inside the jar, there was an electric wire, along with the same transparent pink gas that her cell was now filled with.   
  
"Observe," said Trudy, "as I create a spark within the jar." Hikaru saw the wire make a spark, and then the jar exploded in a blinding flash, forcing Hikaru to cover her eyes and look away. Then she heard Trudy's sardonic voice over the intercom again. "This is a highly volatile gaseous substance that will be set off by the tiniest spark. If you attempt to blast your way out of there, all you'll accomplish is blasting yourself straight to hell." Hikaru's heart sank. Trudy had her completely trapped; without her fire magic, there was no way she could free herself. And that meant she couldn't force any information out of her about Metal Gear or just what was going on at this base....   
  
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Hikaru. *But maybe I can still get her to say something. She seems like the type who would gladly brag about anything and everything,* she thought. Putting her plan of reverse psychology into action, Hikaru spoke up and said, "It's pretty obvious that you and the others aren't part of the U.S. Army. Care to tell me just what's going on here?" Trudy turned around and walked up to the cell door's window, a disdainful look on her face. *Good,* thought Hikaru, *it looks like my plan's working.*  
  
"Well, since you're not going anywhere anytime soon, I might as well tell you," said Trudy with a sigh. Hikaru had to fight to keep from grinning. "The U.S. Army was once indeed in charge of this base, run by Chief of Staff Parker's loyalist goons. But that all changed a week ago, when WE arrived and took over the base. Now all the personnel that were running the place are locked up tight, deep in the lowest basement level of this building. That leaves the Metal Gear Gander for us, to do with as we please. And now we intend to put it to some good use." Hikaru frowned at that last part. What good use could there be for a weapon that launches a nuclear strike from anywhere on Earth?  
  
"So, you're a terrorist group," stated Hikaru sourly.   
  
All this did was make Trudy look even angrier, and her voice reflected her bitter emotions. "How easy it must be slap the label of 'terrorist' on any group you disapprove of. So much like the governments of this world, who carry out campaigns of death and destruction on a global scale for the most asinine reasons. And when dissenting voices rise, they dare to cry out 'terrorists'?! You must be naive, little girl, if you're so blind to all the evil and injustice in the world around you." Hikaru looked away from Trudy's accusing eyes. "We are nothing like Big Boss's Zanzibar or Black Chamber. We seek to change this world, to set it in a better direction. A better way. Our way," Then Trudy uttered a final phrase: "The New Way."  
  
"Let me get this straight: you and this 'New Way' intend to change this world for the better with a weapon capable of murdering millions of people?!" asked Hikaru angrily.  
  
"We will do whatever it takes!" snapped Trudy acidly. "This world is a putrid cesspool - full of devastation, suffering and injustice brought about by the corruption, greed and tyranny of those with power. I and my comrades have pledged to make this world a better place, and using Metal Gear is an important first step in our plans."  
  
"So you will use it to murder millions," said Hikaru, having to suppress her outrage.  
  
"I never said that, now did I?" retorted Trudy. "Perhaps our initial plans involve only threatening to use it, bluffing the world superpowers and putting the first steps of our scheme into motion..." Trudy then paused. "But I believe I've told you enough! You're the one who should be giving me the answers I want, not the other way around. Again I ask, who sent the two of you here, and how did they discover the Sierra Outpost has had a... a 'change of management', when hardly anyone even knows of its existence?!!"  
  
Hikaru looked away again. She still had no way of answering that. So she just said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
  
"I see. Well, if you aren't willing to talk, I suppose I'll have to get the information I seek from your friend Snake instead," said Trudy coldly.  
  
Hikaru's heart almost skipped a beat. *That's right!! Snake is still out there!*   
  
Trudy spoke up again. "I'm sure he'll come looking for you, and when he does, he's mine! Piranha told me how he was coming here for me anyway. And now that I have you in custody, he's sure to come. Hell, he's probably already infiltrated the facility and is looking for you as we speak. It's only a matter of time before he finds this room, and then..." Trudy let the sentence dangle, knowing full well Hikaru could guess what she would have said next. Hikaru remembered how Piranha had said Trudy was even far more dangerous than her. Sure, she didn't look particularly tough, but after seeing what the Cyborg Twins and Piranha could do, and judging how Trudy had snuck behind her and knocked her out so easily, Hikaru was beginning to wonder just what this member of 'New Way' was capable of. Hikaru leaned against the wall of her cell and slumped down to the ground. Snake was her only hope now, and she was terrified about what would happen should he come for her.  
  
****************  
  
Snake waited patiently, hunched over in an uncomfortable position inside a cardboard box. A few more seconds, and that moving surveillance camera sliding along the wall of the hallway would pass over him, while he was safely hidden away underneath his cardboard box. Four.... three.... two.... one.... NOW. Snake started moving again, still under his cardboard box. Eventually, he reached the end of the hallway, which had an elevator heading back down. Snake got out from under the box and hit the 'Down' button, and the elevator doors opened automatically. Probably because no one else had used it since he arrived on the third floor.  
  
*Just great,* Snake thought, irritated. *I spent the last two hours searching every nook and cranny of all three floors of this place, and didn't find a damned thing!* Well, he did find a few things. Like several laboratories and computer stations and rooms with plenty of scientific equipment and other supplies (wow, that last one was a big surprise) . And he found a cardboard box, which he was currently using. But he hadn't found what he really wanted: Hikaru. Well, in one of the big rooms, a battle involving Hikaru had clearly taken place, since there was damage that only someone with her abilities could have caused. But there was no sign of Hikaru herself. That, and having to evade all those surveillance cameras and guards sure didn't help his mood any.  
  
*Well, they must be holding her in one of the lower levels,* Snake figured, pressing the 'B1' button on the elevator controls. Soon enough, the elevator opened up and Snake walked out cautiously, silenced handgun at the ready. Thankfully, the coast was clear, but Snake wasn't willing to just rush out. So he once again got under the cardboard box, which had fooled just about every single guard he'd come across tonight.  
  
The B1 level of the research facility was just like Snake had anticipated: a bunch of winding, maze-like hallways. But Snake was used to navigating areas like this, so he proceeded to make his way throigh the B1 level, undaunted. Thankfully, so far everything was going alright. No telltale hums and buzzings of security cameras or the footsteps of any guards. Which was a bit confusing for Snake; if they were keeping Hikaru prisoner here in the lower levels of the research facility, surely they'd have more security on this floor....  
  
"Hey, what was that?" came a voice. No doubt it was one of the guards. But what had alerted him? He had been so careful to not make any noise. Then Snake looked down, and realized his mistake; he had been walking on metal grating. "Oh, just a box," he heard the guard say, and soon he heard him walk off.  
  
*Damn! That was too close,* thought Snake angrily as he continued on, this time crawling on the grated floors instead of walking. So there were guards on this lower level; Snake could soon hear more loud footsteps reverberating off the floor. Before Snake could dwell on that fact, he spotted something of interest through the peephole of his cardboard box: an elevator, and it wasn't the one he took down to the B1 level. Since he saw only one elevator on the top three floors, Snake was certain that this elevator led down to an even lower level. Snake decided to go check it out. After quietly sneaking up to the elevator, he got out from under his box and hit the panel, and soon enough the elevator opened up, allowing Snake to get inside. Just as he suspected, this one led down to the B2 level.  
  
But once the elevator opened up, a very unwelcome sight greeted Snake. Stretched out before him was a long hallway, but instead of surveillance cameras and security guards impeding his progress, he saw something much worse - the floor was electrified. No way for Snake to get through. But from past experience, he knew of one possible way to overcome this nasty hurdle, and that was aiming a guided missile at the flooring's power source.  
  
Unfortunately, Snake didn't have any guided missiles. Or a guided missile launcher, for that matter.  
  
"Damn!" cursed Snake out loud. Now he had to go back and look for one. And since he had searched everywhere on the top floors and came up with nothing, the only place left in the building that might have what he needed was the B1 level, which had metal grating for floors in several places and was swarming with guards.   
  
Muttering even more unmentionable phrases under his breath, Snake rode the elevator back up to the B1 level. However, this time he didn't bother using the cardboard box, since there were no cameras and he had a good mental picture of the labyrinthine layout and the guards' positions. Instead, he took out his pistol, just in case he ran into any trouble.  
  
There were several doors he hadn't really noticed earlier because of being under the cardboard box, and Snake began checking them out, hoping that one of them contained what he desperately needed. But after searching three such rooms, Snake was still empty-handed. *You'd think with all the storage areas on this damned base there'd be at least ONE missile launcher among them,* thought Snake, extremely frustrated.  
  
Needless to say, Snake's optimism level was starting to take a serious nosedive. So much so that when he reached the fourth and final room on the B1 level, he pessimistically expected this one to be a no-go as well. But upon opening the door, he saw in plain sight on a crate in the center of the room was a Nikita missile launcher, and plenty of ammunition to go with it. Without wasting any time, he snatched up the missile launcher and headed back to the elevator.  
  
But in his haste, Snake had forgotten about the grated floors, and the guards all around that would heard him if he ran across them.  
  
Soon enough, Snake heard a cry of "Hey, I heard something!" from around the corner. This immediately snapped Snake out of his absent-mindedness. Reacting with lightning-quick speed, he turned back and opened up one of the other doors that was thankfully close by. Once inside, he ducked behind some cargo crates and waited for about a minute, figuring the guard would go away by then.   
  
As Snake got up, prepared to leave, he suddenly heard the door hiss open. He immediately ducked back down again, drawing his weapon in case the guard should decide to search the room thoroughly. Fortunately, the guard decided that everything was fine and left, and Snake heard metallic clanking sounds on the grated flooring in the hallway, which were growing fianter and fainter.  
  
Snake let out a big sigh of relief as he got up and left the storage room. *That was too damn close,* he thought, angered by his carelessness. If he screwed up here, the mission would be over, and there'd be no telling what would happen to Hikaru. Snake put his concern for her in the back of his mind; he had to concentrate on the task at hand if he had any hope of rescuing her.  
  
Finally, after taking a MUCH more cautious course of action, Snake made it back to the elevator and promptly returned to the B2 level. Wasting no time, Snake got to work, shooting a guided missile down the hallway and using the viewing mechanism to try and find the power source. After plenty of searching, he finally found it, and immediately guided the missile right into the power conduit, blowing it to pieces and rendering it completely useless.  
  
****************  
  
Hikaru had no idea how long she had just sat there in her cell. IT had been over an hour, and there was still no sign of Snake. Then again, she somewhat dreaded what would happen to him if he made it this far.  
  
Suddenly, she felt a tremor rock the walls of her cell. This snapped her out of her delirium. "What was that?!" she thought aloud.  
  
"It means that your friend Snake is finally on his way here," replied the voice of Trudy. "Soon, my dear Hikaru. Soon, the battle will begin...."  
  
****************  
  
That did it. The electrified flooring was now deprived of its power source, meaning Snake could finally go down the hallway. Snake sprinted down it, Nikita missile launcher still at the ready should he encounter any more electrified floors. But he didn't run into any others; apparently, that one power conduit he knocked out supplied all the power to all the electrified flooring on the B2 level. *Idiots,* thought Snake disdainfully. *They should've taken a cue from the research facility back at Galuade.*  
  
Most of the B2 level appeared to be made up of mazelike hallways as well. But when Snake finally found an electronic door and went through, he saw a wide open room, around 100 x 200 meters, and had two levels to it, with ladders leading up to to the upper level. And, of course, all around were storage containers, about five of them, but these were huge metal storage crates, with dimensions around 6 x 12 x 9. Also, there was a huge metal door, big enough for tanks and large trucks to pass through; obviously big vehicles came through there to deliver these huge containers. It had 'LVL 8' marked on it though, so there was no way for Snake to pass through there.  
  
But still, there was no sign of what Snake was really looking for. Then he saw another door on the far side of the room. He immediately ran to it, opened it and stepped inside, with missile launcher and pistol out, ready for anything. It looked like some sort of command center in there. Rows and rows of computer terminals, screens displaying surveillance readouts, electronic equipment, filing cabinets (no doubt filled with some sort of research notes) and scientific research devices.  
  
All of a sudden, a voice cried out. A woman's voice, with a British accent. "So, Legend, you've finally made it all the way here. Actually, it didn't take you as long as I expected. I estimated it would have been another hour before you discovered this room."  
  
Snake turned to his right. There, seated at a desk, was a middle-aged, blonde-haired woman, around 5'9", and wearing a white-lab coat, and a black sweatshirt and pants. "Oh really?" retorted Snake acidly. "If you knew I was coming, you must know what I came for. Where is she?"  
  
"Oh, your little friend?" she asked in a cruelly teasing manner. "Well, she's been waiting for you too." She then pointed to a large metal door on her left, which had a small window. And in that window, Snake could make out Hikaru's face pressed against it, looking out from the other side. Snake's lips curled into a hideous snarl. "Doubtless you'll demand her release. However, I need her for something important, and cannot relinquish her to you," she went on in a detached tone.  
  
"And you know if you don't release her, I'll have to use force," replied Snake threateningly, barely able to contain his rage.  
  
"Oh yes, I know," she said, not sounding the least bit intimidated. "Fortunately for me, I'm fully capable of resisting such force. I may not look particularly formidable...." She paused as she got up and walked up to a computer terminal. Snake kept his gun trailed on her, ready to fire if she tried anything. "But looks can be very deceiving!!" With that, she dug into the metal casing of the terminal with her bare hands and pulled it up from the floor. Snake barely got over the shock of the impossible thing he just witnessed to jump backwards, avoiding being hit by the terminal the woman had effortlessly tossed at him.  
  
*What the.... how did she rip that out from the floor?!* thought Snake, trying to make sense of what he had just seen. But he was rudely snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a thump next to him. He turned to see her crouched beside him, as if she had just landed from a jump. Snake didn't even have a chance to react; her hand shot out and clamped down on his neck. To Snake, it felt as if his neck was caught in a vise. Acting with just as much speed, she effortlessly threw him through the open doorway and back out into the wide-open storage area.  
  
Snake landed hard on the ground and skidded painfully to a halt, about thirty meters away from the entrance to that woman's lab. He managed to hold onto his pistol, but he dropped his Nikita missile launcher. He looked up to see where he had dropped it; it was halfway between him and the doorway. However, his assailant was now standing over his dropped weapon, looking down on it disdainfully. She then picked it up and threw it up onto the upper level of the room, putting it effectively out of Snake's immediate reach.  
  
She turned back to face Snake, who had recovered and was back on his feet, ready for battle. A most malicious, vile grin crossed her face. "Oh, that's right, did I mention my name's Trudy Nolan? Piranha wasn't kidding when she said I was far more dangerous, was she? I've strengthened by own body with genetic engineering techniques. That's why some mercenaries know me as the Geneticist."  
  
****************  
  
In Chapter 10 we have the latest 'boss battle': Snake vs. The Geneticist. Stick around to read it. You know you want to.  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	10. Mad Scientist

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 10: Mad Scientist  
  
11-22-2003  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
Hikaru had watched the whole thing from the window of her cell, horrified that Snake had been overpowered so quickly and easily. Trudy Nolan - or the Geneticist as she called herself - was right about how dangerous she was. Super-strength gained from using genetic engineering technology on herself.... there was no way Snake could face an enemy like that alone! And the Geneticist had tossed Snake out of the room and out of Hikaru's view, so now she couldn't even SEE what was going on. Worse, while she was still trapped in this cell, there was nothing she could do to help him.  
  
"That's it," Hikaru thought aloud angrily. "I must get out of this cell and help him." But that was easier said than done, since Trudy had made sure she wouldn't be able to use her magic and blast her way out. If she made so much as a spark, the gas would ignite and.....  
  
*Wait a minute,* thought Hikaru, suddenly realizing that the Geneticist may have overlooked something. She said that the gas she had flooded Hikaru's cell with would only cause an explosion if she used her powers in such a way that it would IGNITE the gas. But since arriving at the Sierra Outpost, she discovered a new set of powers allowing her to absorb and redirect heat energy. Perhaps.... she could try using her new powers to focus that heat energy without causing a spark and setting off the gas.  
  
Placing both hands on the cell door, Hikaru shut her eyes and concentrated, calling forth the stored energy within her. Yes.... she could feel it.... the power was slowly building up. Fortunately for her, it seemed as if she now had some level of control and could use this strange new power as easily as her old magic spells. Hikaru then focused the heat energy through her hands and onto the cell door. It was working.... she could sense that the metal was beginning to heat up.... almost as if she could see the molecules in her mind's eye, becoming more energetic. Hikaru figured if she could keep this up, the metal would melt.  
  
After a while though, it became evident that this plan of action was not going to work. This strange metal, whatever it was, was just too strong; no way for her to simply get it to melt away and let her out. Hikaru slumped down onto her knees, succumbing to despair. The once chance she thought she had of escaping was just an empty hope. If the door was too strong and too thick to let her melt it.....  
  
*Hold on,* thought Hikaru, having another flash of inspiration. *I can focus my energy anywhere I want. Instead of just applying it directly, maybe, just maybe, I could somehow trigger the lock inside the door to....* Wasting no time, Hikaru got back up and placed her hands on the door again. This time though, she tried probing inside the door, trying to find anything that might be a lock or switch. She wasn't quite sure she'd find anything; she'd never tried a stunt like this before. She might....  
  
All of a sudden, Hikaru found something deep within the cell door that might be the lock. But how to apply her energy to release it? Hikaru concentrated, trying to figure out where to set off a tiny spark and trigger the door to open. Since it was inside the door, Hikaru was certain certain there was no danger of setting off the gas and blowing herself up. She just had to focus.... focus.... and she had it! A mechanical clanking sound confirmed the success of her daring plan. And slowly, the door began to slide open....  
  
And after only opening a few centimeters, it stopped. It was jammed.  
  
"WHAT?!!" Hikaru cried out in an enraged tone. After all that work and finally figuring out a way to get out of her cell, the stupid door jammed on her! And even though the door was slighty opened and the gas let out, it was now lingering in the laboratory, so she would still set it off if she used her fire magic. Now how was she supposed to get out?  
  
Then, yet again, she had another flash of insight. Hikaru drew her sword out and stuck it through the small opening. Then, she proceeded to use her sword like a crow bar to pry to door open. At first though, this seemed to be another futile venture; the door was so massive, and she wasn't particularly strong. But just when Hikaru was about to lose hope, she heard a metallic creaking sound. She looked at the door, and saw it had opened up a couple more centimeters. All she had to do was keep at it, and eventually she would open it enough to slip out.  
  
"Just hang on Snake!" she thought aloud. "Just hang in there. I promise I'll come and help you! I promise I'll come and save you!"  
  
*****  
  
The mercenary-scientist who identified herself as the Geneticist began to slowly advance toward Snake. "You've caused too much damage here already, Snake. I won't allow you to cause us any more trouble," she said, glaring menacingly at him from behind her glasses. Snake immediately got up and raised his pistol to fire at the Geneticist, although he was unsure about how much effect it would have on her, considering what he had seen already. He fired half a dozen rounds at her, all hitting her dead-on. She winced and bent over, covering her abdomen with her arm, but Snake's attack didn't seem to stop her outright. "Agghh! Damnit, that stings!" she hissed. Apparently, all the bullets did was slightly hurt her instead of kill her.  
  
*Oh just great, her body's super-tough too. She's like something out of a damn comic book,* Snake thought bitterly, holstering his pistol. Obviously, she was going to be a very difficult enemy to overcome. But before he could even begin to think of how he was going to beat her, Geneticist suddenly leaped up into the air, jumping much higher than any normal human possibly could, and came crashing down with an earth-shattering stomp. She had meant to come down right onto Snake, who managed to leap backwards just in time. But her stomp created a powerful shockwave that knocked Snake off his feet. *Damn! How am I going to beat this psycho?!* Snake mused worriedly.  
  
Geneticist didn't give Snake any time to answer his own question. She quickly lunged at him with a punch, but Snake saw it coming and easily sidestepped to avoid it. Then he grabbed her arm. As he did so, he swung her around and slammed her facefirst into a huge, steel container that was right next to them. Taking out his FAMAS rifle, he quickly unloaded half a clip of ammunition into her backside. Snake wasn't really the type that liked to shoot an enemy in the back, but she was too powerful an enemy to take chances with.  
  
"YEEARRRGH!" screamed Geneticist, holding her hands against her backside and turning her head to face Snake, a look of pure hatred on her face. Snake could see and hear some of the rounds he had fired at her fall to the floor and clatter, spattering little driblets of blood on the ground. Apparently, his assault rifle couldn't kill her either, but apparently it hurt her a lot more than his handgun did. *Maybe if I keep at it, I'll wear her down,* figured Snake. It was a longshot, but at the moment, Snake didn't see anything else he could try.  
  
Geneticist quickly made her next move, and it was a move that surpised Snake. She dug her hands into the steel cargo container Snake had slammed her against and lifted it high above her. Then she turned around, leaped, and tried to bring it down right onto Snake. Once again, Snake managed to dodge her lethal attack just in time. The steel cargo crate smashed into the floor and slightly embedded itself into the ground and sent chunks of concrete flooring flying in all directions. Not only that, it caused the entire room to shake, almost making Snake lose his footing again. *Damn! Just HOW strong is she?!!* he thought to himself.  
  
*****  
  
Hikaru had managed to open up the doorway by about ten centimeters. It still wasn't opened wide enough for her to escape, but at this rate, Hikaru was certain she would be able to slip out and help Snake within a few minutes.  
  
All of a sudden, there was a large booming sound from the adjacent room, and her entire cell shook violently. Startled, Hikaru lost her footing and dropped her sword. "Wha... What the....?" she thought aloud. She had no idea what had just caused that, but she was certain that whatever it was, it wasn't good news for Snake. Hikaru snatched up her sword and got back on her feet, and continued prying open the cell door. "Just a few more minutes..... Don't worry Snake, I'm coming!"  
  
*****  
  
After having failed at trying to crush Snake with the steel container, Geneticist came at Snake yet again. She lunged at Snake, trying to grab hold of him. But Snake had other plans. Just as Geneticist was in reach, Snake grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder, using her own momentum against her. She skidded along the floor for quite a long distance before coming to a stop.  
  
Snake now realized that the Geneticist had one major weakness. She had superhuman strength and was fairly quick, but obviously she had no formal training in hand-to-hand combat and thus was very clumsy in battle. Therefore, it wouldn't be that hard to keep avoiding her attacks and wear her out with his own. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a fragmentation grenade. Just as Genticist was getting up to face him again, Snake pulled the pin and tossed the grenade her way. It landed right at her feet before blowing up and knocking her down again. Not letting up, Snake opened fire on Geneticist again, who howled in pain.  
  
"That's it!!" she screamed, her voice shaking with rage. "No more holding back!! You're going to pay for killing the Cyborg Twins and hurting Piranha!!" With that, she leaped upwards again, almost reaching the top of the storage room, and tried to come down with a powerful stomp onto Snake. Snake had deftly ran out of harm's way before she came back down with a deafening smash and leaving an impact crater in the ground, but Geneticist immediately jumped up and tried again. This time Snake barely avoided an unpleasant end, rolling out of the way just as she came crashing down. She was still mad as hell and ready to fight, but Snake noticed that she had gotten a little slower. Hopefully she was beginning to get tired.  
  
Snake tossed another grenade at Geneticist just as she was getting up, and it rolled to a stop at the center of the impact crater she had left from her leap-and-stomp attack. She didn't even move to avoid the grenade, and it went off right under her. Judging from how she had failed to even react in time, Snake realized that she must be getting weary. It looked like his plan was beginning to work. He reloaded his rifle with a fresh clip of ammunition, and then pulled out another grenade - this time a stun grenade. Snake quickly pulled the pin and tossed it over at Geneticist. She was immediately blinded by the flash-bang combo, and thus an open target for Snake. He completely unloaded another ammo clip into the Geneticist, who let out an eardrum-splitting screech.  
  
"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU, SNAKE!!!" she shrilled. Then Geneticist did something unexpected - she dug her hands right into the floor and pulled up a huge chunk of concrete. "Eat this!!" she cried, hurling the chunk of concrete at Snake. Snake quickly laid flat on the ground, and the deadly projectile passed over him with a powerful rush of displaced air. Breathing a sigh of relief, Snake got back up and reloaded his rifle again. He readied his weapon and faced Geneticist yet again, but this time she had beaten him to the draw. She ran straight at Snake and connected with a vicious right hook, and this sent him flying halfway across the room, his backside slamming painfully into the wall. He briefly saw stars and his spine was aching, but forced himself to get up again and continue fighting. Fortunately, he had managed to hold on to his assault rifle. *Thank God,* Snake thought bitterly. *This and the grenades are the only things that seem to do any good against her.*  
  
Snake recovered just in time to see Geneticist dashing across the room, fists at the ready. No doubt she was eager to beat him to a bloody pulp. Naturally, Snake wasn't going to allow her to do that - he came here to rescue Hikaru, and that's exactly what he was going to do. And he wasn't going to let the Geneticist wasn't going to stop him, no matter how powerful she was. He opened fire on her, and this forced her to leap aside to avoid his attack. But she was still speeding towards him, rapidly closing the distance between them. Snake bolted to his right, all the while keeping his rifle trained on the Geneticist and letting out short bursts of fire to impede her progress. She kept leaping aside to evade his fire, and this gave Snake an idea. Taking his left hand off his rifle, Snake reached into his pouch and pulled out another grenade. Then he fired at Geneticist again. With only one hand on his gun, he couldn't aim as accurately and Geneticist easily leaped to her left and avoided it. But Snake hadn't counted on shooting her. He tossed the grenade at the spot Geneticist was going to land; what he was counting on was making her land on a spot where he could toss a grenade. His plan worked - the grenade exploded right as she landed on her feet, and this knocked her back off her feet and onto her back again. Snake could also see that her glasses got knocked off her face this time, clattering noisily onto the ground. Snake then realied she may have another weakness. Despite her intellectual demeanor, she was obviously a very impulsive woman and in tense situations easily lost her temper, making rash decisions and didn't bother to think before she acted. It would be a simple matter to lure her into more attacks and finally wear her out, free Hikaru, and get out of there. But Snake knew he had to do it soon; he was running dangerously low on FAMAS ammo clips and fragmentation grenades.  
  
Geneticist pulled up another hunk of concrete right out of the floor and flung it Snake's way. Snake had ample time to roll out of the way and avoid it; her aim wasn't even that good anyway. Whether that was because she lost her glasses or she was finally getting tired, Snake couldn't tell. Although he sincerly hoped it was the latter. Snake reloaded his rifle yet again and opened fire on her, but once again she easily leaped up and out the way, and landed with a deafening crash dangerously near Snake. *Damn!!* Snake thought irritably. *She's still got too much fight left in her! I'm just not hurting her enough! I need a more powerful weapon....*  
  
A more powerful weapon. Snake remembered he HAD such a weapon, but he had lost it even before the fight had really begun. His Nikita missile launcher might be just enough to bring Geneticist down. Unfortunately, she had tossed it up onto the upper level and out of his reach. But if he could keep her distracted and confused long enough....  
  
Geneticist was coming straight at Snake again, arms outstretched, ready to grab him and tear him apart. Before she could even get within ten meters of him, however, Snake pulled out another stun grenade and chucked it at her. It went off as soon as it hit her, blinding her with its dizzying flash. While she was dazed and confused, Snake had the perfect opportunity to put his latest straegy into action. He bolted for one of the ladders that led to the upper level; he had to get hold of his missile launcher before she recovered.  
  
Snake ran along the upper level, his footsteps echoing loudly off the thin metal flooring. *C'mon, where the hell is it?! I thought she threw it up somewhere around....* As he was thinking, Snake turned a corner and saw what he was looking for. There it was, lying right there at his feet. He hastily snatched it up and activated it.  
  
By this time, Trudy had fully recovered from the stun grenade and looked about frantically, trying to spot Snake, and without her glasses that was a bit difficult. She soon managed to find him though, standing on the upper level. Once again acting before bothering to think, she leaped upwards and landed noisily on the upper level, right in front of Snake. "All right, time to end th...." she began, but stopped abruptly when she turned to face him. She was greeted with the sight of the muzzle of a Nikita missile launcher.  
  
"Say cheese," Snake beamed smugly, and fired. Snake had turned off the remote-control guidance mode, so the missiles would shoot out quicker. Not even Geneticist would be able to dodge the missiles at such close range. The missile hit Geneticist dead-center, knocking her back several meters. She immediately got back up though, but her legs were very wobbly and she was clutching her midsection. Still, Snake could see where part of her shirt around her midsection had been burned away, revealing wounds caused by bullets and flying bits of shrapnel. Snake didn't hesitate to fire another missile, hitting Geneticist again and knocking her back to the edge of the upper level. One more missile attack would knock her off the top level and surely put her down for the count. So Snake fired a third missile just as she was getting up. It hit her in her backside and knocked her off the upper level, and Snake could hear her body hit the ground below with a loud thud. Snake breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It looked like he had been right on two counts; when enraged she could easily be lured into an ambush and the missiles did indeed seem to do enough damage to her to finally wear her out.  
  
Snake jumped off the upper level, landed gracefully on the bottom floor and walked up to the fallen Geneticist, who was lying on the ground in a fetal position. She was quivering convulsively and breathing hard and erratically. Snake felt a bit of pity for having to brutally subdue her, but she hadn't given him much of a choice; it was either him or her. "You lose," Snake snapped at her. "Now, you're going to tell me how to free Hikaru and where we can find Metal Gear Gander."  
  
"Forget it, buddy," she shot back defiantly. "I need that girl for my research, and we need Metal Gear for our plans to remake the world."  
  
Snake had kept his composure throughout his battle with Geneticist, but now, he was swiftly losing his patience. "I don't give a damn about any science project of yours. And as for 'remaking the world,' well, I've heard that before...."  
  
"Don't you dare compare us with your past enemies!" Geneticist shouted, outraged. "We're not out to make the world a safe haven for soldiers and mercenaries, or hatching some sick plot for revenge. All we want is set this stinking world right, to correct all the evil and corruption...."  
  
"The only evil I see is a bunch of warped minds that actually think any good can come from using Metal Gear," Snake cut in harshly. "And just who do you mean by 'we'? You're obviously not part of the little army squad Parker charged with running this dump. What is it you're a part of?!"  
  
Now Geneticist picked her head up and stared at Snake with a sardonic, pernicious look. "Well, that's for me to know...." It all happened in a split-second. Geneticist got up from her seemingly helpless position on the floor and reached for the muzzle of Snake's missile launcher, twisting and contorting it so that it was absolutely useless. And before Snake could even let go of the missile launcher, she twirled around and, with her hands still clenched into the muzzle, tossed it straight at a wall, and Snake along with it. Snake's backside once again crashed painfully into a solid wall, so hard he was certain his spine almost shattered into pieces, and slid down to the floor, in too much agony to get up. But he could still hear well enough - enough to hear the footsteps that could only mean the Geneticist was slowly approaching him. "... And for you to NEVER find out," she finished.  
  
"Lemme guess.... you changed your body so that you heal super-quick," Snake managed to get out in choked, painful gasps.  
  
"Exactly," she said triumphantly. "I congratulate you on being able to put me down, but as you can see, there's no way to KEEP me down. Now to finish this." Geneticist reached down and grabbed Snake, placing her hands at his sides, and effortlessly hoisted him off the ground. "I need to keep the little girl alive for research purposes, but I don't think anyone will shed any tears if I dispose of you here and now," she said vindictively. "Goodbye." She then began to slowly press into his sides, wanting to leisurely crush him to death. Snake had been seeing stars before, but now everything was becoming downright vertiginous. He tried repeatedly punching Geneticist in the head, but it was like hitting the trunk of a tree, and all she did was blink. And now, everything was starting to go black....  
  
Only Trudy Nolan's blood-curdling scream of agony snapped Snake out of it.  
  
Geneticist unceremoniously dropped Snake. He looked up to see what had happened, but only saw Trudy looking behind her.  
  
And far behind her was Hikaru with her hand outstretched, some sort of steam rising from it.  
  
Geneticist immediately turned on Hikaru, leaping and lunging at her. But she was not nearly fast enough for Hikaru. "Flame Arrow!" she cried, shooting a stream of fire at her. Her spell was right on target, catching Geneticist in the air and halting her attack altogether. She crashed onto the ground, her body sprawled out on the floor, her clothes charred and singed, and laying utterly motionless.  
  
Now that the Geneticist has finally been dealt with, Hikaru ran over to Snake's side and tried to help him up, blurting out a grabled string of apologies. "Snake, are you OK?!! I'm so sorry Snake!! I'm so sorry I couldn't help you!! I should've been able to escape sooner!!"  
  
"Ugh.... better late than never," said Snake weakly, finally managing to get up on his feet. As soon as he did, he turned to get a good look at Hikaru, a grave look of concern on his face. "What about you? Did she do anything to do? You OK?" Hikaru blinked, staring at Snake for a second. In the brief time she had known him, she figured out he wasn't the outwardly emotional type. "I said, you OK?" repeated Snake.  
  
"Oh, just fine. She really didn't do anything to me," she answered him. Then she turned to look at the fallen Geneticist. "Speaking of her, well, what about her? Was my magic enough to put her down?" she asked, hoping she had put enough force into her attack to knock her out, but not kill her.  
  
"I don't think so," said Snake, taking out his FAMAS rifle and slowly approaching Trudy. Hikaru followed suit, drawing her sword and walking slowly towards their downed foe. "This girl recovers really fast. I hit her with machine gun fire, grenades, missiles.... and she still survived. I doubt one of your magic spells will do the job either."  
  
"Wrong," Trudy said faintly. "You couldn't kill me Snake, but she can. Easily. She just exploited.... only real weakness.... you can probably guess what it is.... right Hikaru?" she asked before profusely coughing up blood.  
  
Hikaru stared at the Geneticist, a look of pure horror on her face. She realized just what she was hinting at. "You.... You mean...."  
  
"Exactly," Geneticist replied feebly, her voice even fainter than before. "Not only clones are vulnerable to extreme heat.... all cells I use my special engineering techniques on.... share the same problem.... including my own...." she went on. She looked up and saw Snake's bewildered expression and Hikaru holding her face in her hands, sobbing.   
  
"Don't weep child.... perhaps, perhaps I deserve this...." she continued. "It was my research, my innovations.... they used.... those bastards used my work for their own unspeakable experiments... didn't realize it until too late.... but he, our leader, took me in.... gave me a chance to correct my mistakes.... to work with him...."  
  
"What are you talking about?!" cried Snake, confused by her rambling.  
  
"Never mind.... none of your concern," Geneticist said, her voice softer than ever. "At least I know.... with my death.... I'll take you two with me...." After breathing those last words, her eyes slowly closed for good.  
  
And then deafening, bone-jarring explosions went off all around Hikaru and Snake.  
  
"What the hell?!" exclaimed Snake. "Damn! She must have somehow rigged the whole building to explode if she got killed!!"  
  
"We've got to get out of here!" yelled Hikaru, pointing out the painfully obvious. Bits and pieces of the ceiling were coming down in smoldering chunks, and thick, billowing flames were popping up everywhere. Well, she couldn't be hurt by fire anymore, but Snake was a different story....  
  
"Follow me!" Snake brusquely ordered, dashing for the room's other exit, Hikaru following close behind. Snake led Hikaru through the winding hallways with the powerless electric flooring until they reached the elevator.  
  
"Ummm, Snake, I thought you're not supposed to use elevators if a building is about to go up in flames," Hikaru pointed out.  
  
"You're right. But this is the only way off this floor I know of," replied Snake. Just then, the elevator door opened. "Get in!" he cried, shoving Hikaru in the elevator before darting inside himself. A few seconds later, part of the ceiling crashed down right in front of the elevator. But by then, Hikaru and Snake had reached the B1 level, and Snake was leading Hikaru by the hand to the eleavtor that would take them to the ground level, explosion going off all around them. They made it there without incident; obviously, the guards knew what had happened and vacated the premises.  
  
Just as Hikaru and Snake were doing. The duo had managed to finally make it out of the doomed facility's main entrance. After only running a few meters awat from the building, the entire structure finally went up with one immense explosion that knocked both of them flat on their faces.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
It had been about half an hour since Snake and Hikaru's narrow escape from the self-destructing research facility. After that though, they had to deal with all the facility's guards that had fanned out everywhere to search for them. Luckily, the daring duo of spies managed to expertly elude them all, thanks in part to a couple of conveniently located cardboard boxes.  
  
But at last, it seemed as if the two of them were finally in the clear for the moment. They were currently walking through a thinly forested area. Hikaru decided it was a good time to tell Snake everything the Geneticist had told her: the cloned Black Chamber soldiers, her new pwers, what Trudy had found out by studying her DNA, New Way, her hints of the grandiose plans her group had for Metal Gear.... everything. Snake just listened, taking it all in. After she was finished, he reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a cigarette. Like he told Hikaru earlier, the only times he ever smoked a great deal was during and after extremely stressful occurences. And barely making it out of an exploding building alive would certainly qualify. Snake put the cigarette in his mouth and then reached for his lighter, but stopped when he saw Hikaru reach for the cigarette out of the corner of his eye. "Eh?" said Snake, thinking she was trying to take it away. But it turned out she was doing the opposite. She lit his cigaretter with her fingertip, using her new heat-based power. "Uhhh, thanks," he said.  
  
"Don't mention it," replied Hikaru with a smile. "Ummm, Snake. Back there, when you asked me how I was, well...."  
  
"What about it?" asked Snake, taking a long drag from his cigarette.  
  
"It's just that, well, in the short time I've known you, you seemed like, ummm, obdurate, unemotional, and you seemed real worried about me, and...."  
  
"I've seen too many would-be friends die right in front of me," Snake cut in. "I don't think I could live with myself if that sort of thing happened again. I've got too few people I can call friends left in this world."  
  
Hikaru smiled again; it looked like she was really getting through to this sad, lonely man. "Well, thank you, Snake."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'd do the same for me," he said, taking another drag. Then Snake thought to himself how much Hikaru's words had hit home. All his life, Snake thought of himself as someone who would fight ONLY for himself. Some people would think him a hero, but he knew he was just a lone warrior inexorably drawn to the battlefield again and again....  
  
"OH NO!!!" Hikaru suddenly exclaimed, surprising Snake so much he almost dropped his cigarette.   
  
"What is it?" he asked, turning to face her. She had another sorrowful look on her face.  
  
"I....I just remembered! Trudy said that Parker's soldiers were being held somewhere else in the research facility! D-did you happen to find them?" she asked in a shaky voice. Snake shook his head solemnly. "Then that means they were still in there when the place blew. They're dead.... or buried alive." She buried her face in her hands again. "I accidently killed Trudy Nolan, not knowing my magic was so lethal to her, and I accidently caused the deaths of all those soldiers as well, and I totally forgot they were in there! I didn't even try to find them....." Hikaru then began to sob uncontrollably. "WHY?!! Why am I always the cause of so much death?!!!"  
  
Snake couldn't help but feel for her; he took Hikaru in his arms and hugged her closely, trying to comfort her. If anyone understood what kind of pain she was going through, it was him.  
  
Too bad this cute little moment wouldn't last too long.  
  
"Aw, that's so sweet," came a sardonic, mechanical-sounding voice out of nowhere. This immediately snapped Snake and Hikaru to attention, drawing their weapons and frantically looking around for the source of the voice. There were only about half a dozen trees within a fifty meter radius around them, and their mystery person could be hiding behind any one of them.  
  
"Show yourself!" demanded Hikaru.  
  
There was no verbal reply. Instead, a small jet of water came out of nowhere, striking Snake's cigarette, tearing it in half. Snake just stared at it for a second, then spit it out. "Bad for your lungs anyway."  
  
"Hold on... WATER?!!!" cried Hikaru. "But it can't be! She's...."  
  
"Recovered.... and ready and willing to have the rematch you two owe me!!" cut in the voice. Now Snake had a good idea where the voice was coming from - upwards. He looked up into the treetops, and indeed there was human-shaped outline up in one of the trees - a really big human-shaped outline. Snake watched it jumped down out of the tree and land noisily about a dozen meters away.  
  
Hikaru and Snake immediately knew who it was: Piranha. The water cannon and incredibly large, burly physique were dead giveaways. But this time, she had come prepared. She had on a thick armored suit, kind of like a knight's suit of armor with an astronaut's space suit helmet. And within that helmet, the two of them could make out Piranha's face.  
  
Then Hikaru sensed something funny. "Uh-oh. Snake, that armor's made up of the same metal the walls of my cell were."  
  
"That's right, kid. With this special armor, I'm safe from even your so-called magic," she spat out from within her suit. "There was only one way that research facility could have gone up, and that's if Trudy got killed. I don't know how you two managed to do it, but I swear I'll avenge her death!"  
  
*********  
  
Well, finally got done with this chapter. This was perhaps the hardest one yet to write. Now let's see if I can get Chapter 11 done before Thansgiving.  
  
Yeah right.  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	11. Payback's a Bitch

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 11: Payback's a Bitch  
  
12-18-2003  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
"Trudy was probably the best friend I ever had in this pitiful life, and I'll make sure the two of you suffer for killing her!!" shrieked Piranha from within her armored suit. Snake frantically looked about, and quickly saw that the situation was not good. There was no cover like last time - no large, solid rocks to hide behind; only a few fairly large trees, which hardly afforded the same level of protection. And if what Piranha said about her armor suit was true, they couldn't do a thing to stop her. A point which she was all too happy to reiterate. "And with this suit, there's no way you can hurt me! Not even the little girl's so-called magic can damage it!"  
  
"We'll see about that!" Hikaru shot back defiantly. "FLAME ARROW!" Hikaru threw the blazing fireball straight at Piranha and it hit her dead-center. But soon the flames dissipated and Piranha was still standing, and there wasn't even the slightest burnmark on her armor.  
  
"Ha! You see?!" chided Piranha triumphantly, her voice dripping with vindictive malice. "You can't hurt me, but I can sure hurt you two, which I'll be happy to demonstrate!!"   
  
With that, Piranha readied her trademark water cannon and fired a wide burst of water. The attack was easily avoided; Snake deftly rolled to the left and Hikaru to the right. But unless they found a way to breach Piranha's armored suit and take her down, it would only be a matter of time before she scored a direct hit. Hikaru was well aware of this. "Get out of here Snake! Go on without me and let me handle her!" she ordered, gripping her sword with both hands and charging at Piranha.   
  
Snake got a sense of deja vu; this was a lot like when he and Hikaru had encountered that Metal Gear Gustav hours before. It would be useless for him to fight - not with the weapons he currently had anyway. *Damnit, if I only still had that missile launcher, or some C4!!* Snake angrily thought to himself.  
  
Hikaru came at Piranha head-on, running as fast as she could, sword at the ready. Of course, this only made her an easy target for Piranha, who fired off another wide burst at her incoming adversary. But, with unmatched grace and agility, Hikaru leaped high into the air, avoided the deadly stream of water altogether, and then came down right in front of Piranha, striking Piranha's helmet with a downward thrust with her sword. A loud metallic clang resounded throughout the forest, and although Hikaru's blow failed to crack the armor, it caused Piranha to stagger and back away slightly. And that was exactly what Hikaru had counted on; while she was dazed, Hikaru walked right up to her and placed her left hand on her chest plate.  
  
"RUBY LIGHTNING!!!"  
  
Piranha's entire body shot backward with the speed of a missile, crashing into the base of a tree with a loud crunch. Hikaru had never used her magic at such close range before; she hoped that using her Ruby Lightning spell at point-blank range would be enough to get through the armor. As Piranha struggled to get up, Hikaru could see the front part of her armor was slightly disfigured and there were plenty of nasty burnmarks. Plus, she had managed to really shake her up. It was a start at least.  
  
It didn't take Piranha long to recover and start shooting at Hikaru again. But she still had no luck actually HITTING Hikaru, who was just too fast and too nimble for her. Hikaru then counterattacked, cutting loose with an intense Flame Arrow spell. She had focused so much power into her blast, the tree near Piranha caught on fire despite the damp weather, brightly lighting up the moonlit night even more.  
  
It then dawned on Hikaru that while that armored suit protected Piranha, it slowed her down quite considerably. *She's lost one advantage she had last time, so maybe I can just keep avoiding her while hammering her with my magic,* she thought as she let loose another Flame Arrow spll at Piranha. Hikaru was certain she was willing so much power into her fire spells, all the moisture in the muddy ground was being evaporated from all the heat.  
  
*Heat....* Hikaru thought to herself she dodged another one of Piranha's shots, the stream of water whizzing harmlessly past her. *My new powers.... time to shake things up and see what I can really do.* She then stood still and concentrated, calling upon her reserves of stored thermal energy. Piranha had no idea just what Hikaru was up to, nor did she really care; she just pointed her water cannon at the red-headed Japanese schoolgirl and fired. But Hikaru had other plans; she stuck out her left hand and focused. Before the jet of water could reach her, it vanished, turning into a wispy plume of water vapor. Piranha just stood there for a few seconds, dumbfounded.   
  
Hikaru took full advantage of that lapse of attention, focusing her heat energy at the ground. This created a shockwave that traveled along the ground and eventually struck her, knocking her down instantly. Hikaru didn't let up for a second and again focused her energy, sending out blasts of pure heat at the downed Piranha. Orange-red bursts of super-charged plasma fired out of her hand again and again, striking her armored foe. *This has got to get through that armor of hers. It's got to.*  
  
Her vicious assault was kicking up a lot of dirt and spewing mist and vapor everywhere, obstructing her vision, but Hikaru was certain that Piranha was staying down. But then, she sensed moverment, or more specifically, she sensed the metal in Piranha's armor was on the move, and moving toward her. Hikaru tried to move out of the way, but Piranha was too quick, despite the added burden of her thick armor. She slammed right into Hikaru with a linebacker charge, flooring her in an instant. Hikaru's head was pounding with the sound of ringing bells, but she knew that if she didn't get up and fast, Piranha would strike her down. Picking herself up off the ground, she turned to face Piranha, who was a few meters away, and saw the muzzle of her cannon pointed directly at her.   
  
Hikaru readied another burst of her stored heat energy to knock her back, but soon it would be unnecessary. An object hit Piranha's backside and exploded. Hikaru immediately knew what it was: one of Snake's grenades. Hikaru smiled to herself. *I should've known he wouldn't just run and leave me here. Not after what he went through to get me out of the research facility.*  
  
"Hikaru, rest for a while. Let me have a shot at her now," said Snake as he fished out another grenade and tossed it Piranha's way. The explosion caused her to stumble backward slightly, but didn't seem to hurt her in the least. Snake hadn't counted on his grenades hurting her though. He just hoped she would get angry enough to come after him.  
  
His plan worked beautifully.  
  
"Bad move Snake!" taunted Piranha as she took off after him, continuously firing her water cannon. Snake turned and ran, easily dodging Piranha's clumsy shots. Just a little further, and.... "GYYYAARGGHH!" screeched Piranha as explosions went off all around her.   
  
Snake grinned; he had suckered Piranha into walking right into a mine yet again - or in this case, a whole bunch of mines. *She's definitely not the brightest mercenary I've fought,* he thought wryly. *Now on to phase two.* Snake picked up a large, jagged rock he had found lying around earlier and ran back toward the downed mercenary. He turned Piranha onto her side, then he bbegan to hammer away at the big visor of her helmet with the rock. *If I can just shatter the glass, then maybe....*  
  
Snake didn't even get the chance to finish that thought; as he was bringing his rock down for another blow, Piranha lashed out with her hand and grabbed him tightly by the throat. "Close, but no cigarette, Snake," she said mockingly as she got back on her feet. Piranha jostled Snake around in the air effortlessly, enjoying the panicky expression on his face. She then raised her water cannon and pointed it directly at Snake's head, planning to blow his head clean off his shoulders. "I will give the two of you some credit. Like true warriors, you're determined to go out fighting," she said in a sardonic tone. "But your time is now up."   
  
"I DON'T THINK SO!!!" suddenly rang a sharp cry through the night. Exactly a second afterwards, Hikaru jumped onto Piranha's shoulders, as if Piranha was giving the sprightly little girl a piggyback ride. Placing her both her hands on Piranha's helmet, she focused her energy again - right into that helmet. Piranha dropped Snake and let out a raucous howl as some of her thermal energy seeped through her helmet, thanks in part to how Snake had put a few cracks in her visor. She thrashed about wildly, trying to shake Hikaru off. But Hikaru refused to let go, determined to hang on and continue pumping out heat until Piranha fell.  
  
Eventually though, Piranha was able to gather her wits. She grabbed hold of Hikaru's leg, and with one mighty jerk, pulled her off her shoulders and slammed her onto the ground. White-hot pain that cut into the very marrow of her bones threatened to overwhelm Hikaru. Piranha laughed evilly again. "Again, nice try. But it was all useless. Now, where was I?" She turned back to face Snake, who was standing on wobbly legs and nursing his aching neck. She slowly began to approach Snake, clearly enjoying his helpless situation. And Snake knew he was helpless. He was out of grenades and claymore mines, and none of his other weapons would be of any use.  
  
Hikaru, still lying on the ground and struggling to cope with the pain, had turned her head to see what was happening. She too knew how desperate Snake's predictament was. And here she was, totally powerless to help him. After all Snake went through, putting his life on the line to try and rescue her, and now she was unable to return the favor. Oh, it was so frustrating! Back in Cephiro, she had always managed to come through for Umi and Fuu....  
  
Back in Cephiro. Back in the world where your will was the ultimate power. Because of her refusal to give in, she had always managed to pull through for Umi and Fuu in Cephiro; she would come through for Snake now too! But how.... there was no way to get through that armor of hers.... No, she wouldn't accept that. No matter how strong that weird metal was, she would be stronger! Pushing herself up off the ground, Hikaru once again began to call up her new powers, and concentrated with all her might - concentrated on the frontal chest plate of Piranha's armored suit. Back in her holding cell, Hikaru had failed to get through that strange metal, but not this time. This time she would smash that metal to pieces - even if it took everything she had!!  
  
It was Snake who first noticed the fruits of Hikaru's efforts. As Piranha continued to advance, he noticed her chest place began to slightly change color, and steam started to rise from it. Soon, Piranha began to notice that something was amiss; it was suddenly very hot, and getting even hotter by the second. "What the...." Piranha began, but stopped abruptly as the heat reached unbearable levels. Then the whole forest was filled with the sound of splintering metal as Piranha's chest plate loudly cracked and flew apart.  
  
Snake instantly knew what had just happened; he wasn't sure how Hikaru did it, but he knew she had just blown off a part of Piranha's suit, leaving her exposed and wide open to attack. Acting on pure instinct, Snake whipped out his pistol and emptied half a dozen rounds right into Piranha's midsection. Piranha fell to the ground instantly, clutching her midesction and too badly hurt to even scream in pain.   
  
Snake then ran over to his downed foe and disconnected the hose to her water cannon, rendering her deadly weapon completely useless. Pressurized water spewed out everywhere and wetted the ground yet again. Some of the water splashed onto Hikaru, who had lapsed into unconsciousness yet again. The blast of cold water to her head immediately woke her up though. Snake saw this and quickly rushed to her side, helping her get on her feet. "Did I... d-do it?!" she muttered incoherently. "Did I break it... her armor... did she?"   
  
"Yes, Hikaru, you did it," Snake answered, trying to reassure her. "You got her."  
  
After hearing those words, Hikaru sluggished turned to look at Piranha's crumpled form, laying unmoving on the wet, cold ground. She knew that if she succeeded, it would have come to this. She aimed to blow off her chest plate so Snake could deliver the finishing blow. She knew it was either her or them. But that didn't mean she had to like it.  
  
The two of them walked over to her unmoving body. Snake reached down and propped her up so that she was in a sitting position. Then he noticed her bullet wounds. The blood oozing out of her midsection was inky black; Snake knew that meant he must've hit her liver. If that was the case, then there was no saving her now. Snake shuddered inwardly; once again, he had been forced to kill.  
  
Piranha slowly lifted up her left arm. Hikaru stiffened, thinking she might try something else. But all she did was press a switch near her helmet, and then it popped off, revealing her exhausted, contorted face. There was no hatred in her expression now, only the sorrowful face of someone who had tasted the bitterness of defeat. She knew she had been beaten, and that soon, she would be dead. "You win," she uttered weakly. "That's another one for the Legend."  
  
"Do you think I *WANTED* this?!!" Snake spat angrily. Hikaru turned to look at Snake and immediately saw his doleful expression.  
  
Piranha noticed this to, and said, "Don't worry about it. You know damn well this is the way it is for mercenaries like us. But now, at least, maybe I can see my family again, once I cross over...."  
  
"Your family?" Hikaru cut in, curious. "What do you mean?"  
  
For a moment Piranha was silent. But after a while, she said, "I might as well tell you, since I'm not going to live much longer. As I told you during our first meeting, I was born of the native tribes in Brazil, growing up in their villages. But that was until I was four years old, before my entire village was destroyed."  
  
"Destroyed? Who did it?" asked Snake, now curious as well.  
  
"No one did. It was an act of God, not man," replied Piranha, her voice becoming weaker and more strained. "There was a bit of a drought that year, and conditions were drier than normal. A deadly fire raged out of control, and my entire village was burned to the ground. I was the only one who managed to make it out alive, but just barely. I was badly burned, my leg hurt, but I was able to get away. But I'll never forget the screams of the dying, the smell of charred flesh....  
  
"I probably wouldn't have survived very long in the rain forest however, being so young and weak. But fortune smiled upon me, for a man and his wife who were exploring the wilderness stumbled upon me about two days after the fire. His wife was barren and desperately wanted a child, so they decided to take me in and raise me. I was hardly what they would have considered an ideal daughter though. I was never the brightest in school, and my giantism was apparent at an early age. But still, they loved me and nurtured me as if I was their own blood....  
  
"They were an extremely wealthy family by Brazilian standards in the day, for my adoptive father was a brilliant businessman. And he used his wealth to help his fellow countrymen, donating huge amounts of money to charities, building homes, providing jobs for the people. And after the changes wrought in 1985, he got into politics, and extended his reach further, for the betterment of all of Brazil....  
  
"But my father went too far. One thing he always detested was the underworld drug ring. Once he was in the government, he worked tirelessly to break it up. The corruption of the drug cartel extended much further than he thought, even up to fellow members in the government who were connected to the crime ring."  
  
"Wait a minute," Hikaru cut in. "I thought it was only Columbia that was part of the drug cartels."  
  
Piranha had to stifle a laugh. "Naive little girl," she retorted icily. "No, the countries neighboring Columbia were part of it too. And the politicians who were actually part of it, no doubt it was them, who staged the hit.... who killed the family that had taken me in!!"  
  
"You mean they murdered them because they were causing so much trouble?!" cried Hikaru, sickened by Piranha's sad tale.  
  
"Exactly," replied Piranha. "Do you have any idea what it's like to lose your family, everyone you care about, twice?"  
  
*No,* thought Snake, *but I know what it's like to kill the man claiming to be father twice.*  
  
"Anyway, after that, I learned just what a terrible place the world really is. I was filled with bitterness and rage, and became the ruthless mercenary you see now. I took part in many rebel and revolutionary movements around the world, aided several so-called terrorist groups, basically helping anyone who were being preyed upon by those in power....  
  
"But then, about a year ago, I met.... him. The leader of a new movement, run by people who had suffered as I had. People like Trudy and the Cyborg Twins. People sick of all the war and injustice and corruption in the world today, and were determined to finally do something about it."  
  
"New Way," muttered Hikaru, remembering what Trudy Nolan had told her.  
  
"Exactly. And we took over this base, because we knew with the Metal Gears under our control, we could put our plans into action at last."  
  
"Metal GEARS?!!! You mean there's MORE THAN ONE?!" Snake demanded vehemently.  
  
"Heh. If you find out where the others are hiding, you'll see what I mean," was all Piranha said in reply. "Get out of here. I have nothing more to say to either of you. Let me die in peace." With that, Piranha's eyes slowly closed and her body slouched even more. Snake knew that it wouldn't be much longer before she was dead. He slowly turned away from the dying mercenary and began continue the trek through the forest. Hikaru continued to stare at Piranha's lifeless body a little while longer, then ran back up to Snake.  
  
"I-I can't believe it," stammered Hikaru, who was on the verge of crying. "That was so sad.... her family was murdered! How could she.... no one should go through that!!!"  
  
You're right, no one should," said Snake. For a while there was silence, but eventually it was broken by an angry outburst from Snake. "I'm sick of this. I'm tired of all the killing, having to hear all their tragic life stories right before they die. Why is it I'm always forced to kill?!!"  
  
Hikaru didn't know how to answer Snake. She really didn't even have an answer for herself, about why she had been forced into killing Zagato and Emeraude. So she just kept silent. But after a while, she couldn't help but blurt out, "The worst part is that nothing good came out of that. We still have no idea just where Metal Gear is being kept, and I doubt she would've told us if we asked."  
  
This seemed to grab Snake's attention and shake him out of his sorrowful thoughts. "Well, I have an idea where it is."  
  
"Huh? Where?!" asked Hikaru queurulously.  
  
"Well, in the room where I fought Geneticist, there was a huge level 8 door. Big enough to let tanks and cargo trucks srive through. That door probably led to a deep underground area. MY guess is that it's being kept where it's always been kept: in a deep underground base," explained Snake. "The only problem is that we have no idea where it is, and have no idea where any possible entrances are. The only one I've seen was that level 8 door, but my card couldn't get me through, and besides, it's buried under tons of rubble now."  
  
Hikaru took it all in. "Well, at least we now have some clue where Metal Gear is. Maybe we'll come across a soldier and can get some info out of him, or maybe we'll find another building and that'll lead us to...."  
  
"Shhh," interrupted Snake. "I hear something...." Hikaru looked around and listened, trying to figure out what Snake was talking about. Then she heard it too: the sound of helicopter blades. And they were getting closer. And right now, they were in a fairly open area, just like during their battle with Piranha. If this was the same helicopter they saw earlier, and if it was coming for them, they were in big trouble.  
  
"Oh crap... Hikaru, move it!" exclaimed Snake, grabbing Hikaru by the arm and breaking into a run. Hikaru looked up and saw the cause for Snake's panic: an approaching Hind D.... no, wait.... TWO approaching Hind D attack helicopters, and they were heading straight for them!  
  
"Looks like Piranha had some backup ready in case she lost," said Hikaru glumly. "Snake, let go. Give me a chance to take 'em out." Snake complied, releasing his tight grip on Hikaru's arm. "Flame Arrow!!" she exclaimed, releasing her fire magic at the offending helicopters. But they quickly broke formation and veered out of harm's way. Then one fired off several missiles that impacted nearly. The force of the explosion knocked both Snake and Hikaru into the air.  
  
Hikaru landed hard on the ground, but she quickly got up and on her feet. She spit out the dirt and bits of grass that had gotten into her mouth as she looks around, trying to find Snake. But the missile blasts kicked up too much dirt and created too much smoke, and she couldn't see clearly.  
  
She heard Snake before she saw him. All she heard though was a loud yelp of surprise. She turned to the direction of the noise. The smoke had dissipated enough now to see clearly, but what Hikaru saw, she couldn't believe. One of the helicopters had used some sort of net launcher to trap Snake and was now flying off, with Snake dangling helplessly underneath it. *Oh no,* she thought, *they've captured him!!! Now what do I do?!!*  
  
Hikaru's thoughts were interrupted by a man's voice blasting over the other Hind D's speaker system. "Your friend Snake is now our prisoner, but I'm afraid I cannot risk doing the same with you," boomed the mysterious voice - a voice that had an accent Hikaru didn't recognize. "It pains me to have to destroy such a fine specimen of a true warrior, but you are simply to powerful to take chances with. Farewell."  
  
The Hind began to close in, its machine gun blasting relentlessly. The machine gun fire was getting dangerously close, and Hikaru turned tail and ran. She soon found cover in the form of a rock, about twice as big as her, which could adequately shield her from the bullets. She quickly ran behind it, and judging from the sheer loudness of the machine gun, she made it just in time.  
  
Hikaru saw the Hind swoop overhead and once it flew a few dozen meters away, it did a 180 turn to face her. This time, instead of machine gun fire, the Hind unleashed a volley of missiles right at her. Without even thinking, Hikaru unleashed another Flame Arrow spell to intercept the missile barrage. Hikaru's magical flame caused every single missile that had been fired at her to detonate.  
  
She had managed to fend off another attack from the Hind, but she doubted she could do it for much longer. *This is nutty,* she thought angrily to herself. *One disaster after another.... it's like one of those American action movies Umi got hooked on in her English class.* Umi always loved to take her and Fuu to theatres to watch subtitled versions of American action movies. Hikaru wasn't particularly fond of them, but now she was glad she had agreed to watch them with Umi - she remembered something she saw in one of them that could help her here.  
  
The Hind was now circling Hikaru like a buzzard, just waiting for another opportunity to attack. That was exactly what Hikaru wanted the pilot to do; its side was now facing Hikaru, and its back blade was wide open for an attack. All that was needed was one well-timed shot....  
  
"FLAME ARROW!!!"  
  
Hikaru unleashed the jet of flame at the Hind, and it smashed directly into its back blade. Sparks and smoke began to sputter out of the back blade, and the Hind began to wobble uncontrollably. *With the back blade disabled, he'll have no choice but to retreat,* Hikaru thought to herself smugly. And retreat he did; knowing it would be foolish to continue fighting Hikaru with a damaged back blade, the pilot began to clumsily veer off. And as the Hind retreated, it left a trail of smoke. Thanks to the light of the full moon, it was very visible. *And thanks to that smoke trail, he'll lead me right back to where he took off from. And maybe that'll lead me to the underground area.* It was a bit of a long shot, but it might finally lead her to the location of Metal Gear.  
  
Not only that, she now had to worry about Snake. The words he had spoken earlier echoed in her head: "I'm sure you'd do the same for me." Snake put his life on the line to try and rescue her, and now she was going to do whatever it took to rescue him.  
  
*****  
  
Well, there's another chapter done. I'm so sick of only getting one done a month. Need to pick up the pace....  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	12. Into the Lion's Den

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 12: Into the Lion's Den  
  
12-31-2003  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
Slowly, gingerly, Snake began to open his eyes, finally regaining consciousness after.... well, he really didn't have any idea how long he was out. The last thing he remembered was one of the Hind D helicopter snatching him up with some sort of net launcher, and then how he blacked out all of a sudden. He reasoned there must have some electric current that ran through the net to knock him out. However, as far as he could tell, they only went after him and not Hikaru. These terrorists had shown a lot of interest in Hikaru and her powers, so why did they go through all the trouble of capturing him and leave Hikaru behind? This didn't make any sense at all....  
  
As he pondered this fact, Snake's senses slwoly began to return to him. The first thing he noticed was that it was cold. Not 'Alaska in winter' cold, with driving snow and slicing, piercing winds. It was just cold, as if the room he was in was barren and prosaic, and basically just had a feeling of lifelessness. That, and something cold was pressing against him. More specifically, he felt something cold pressing against his forearms and legs. Snake warily looked down, and saw his arms were positioned at his sides, encased in some sort of metal harness. His legs were encased too, and there was also some sort of metal housing around his.... err.... crotch area. Then Snake realized why it felt so cold: they had stripped him down. Obviously, they didn't want to take any risks with him.  
  
"So you're up," suddenly came a flat voice. Snake looked up to see who it was. At first, the sight made him shudder inwardly. A white-haired man with an eyepatch and wearing a soldier's camouflage uniform.... no it couldn't be. Did that psychotic scientist clone HIM too?!!  
  
Upon further inspection, Snake could see it definitely wasn't him. The patch was covering the wrong eye, for one thing. And this man looked like he was in his forties, way too young. Plus, his opaque, white hair was all frizzled and wavy, and that wasn't the way Big Boss kept his hair. "Who are you?" demanded Snake. "And where am I?"  
  
The man just stared back at him, with a look that made Snake think he didn't want to talk to him, or even be here at all. *Definitely a change of pace. The people I end up fighting against are usually all too happy to mouth off at me.*  
  
A loud clanking noise, like that of a reinforced steel door being opened, snapped Snake out of his thoughts. It caught the attention of Snake's unwilling companion as well, turning his head in the direction of the sound. Then came another sound, the voice of a man with an Arabic accent. "He is Wolfamite, one of my most trusted lieutenants. Don't expect him to say anything though. The art of conversation is somewhat lost on him."  
  
The second man began to step into what light there was in the room, and Snake got a good look at him. Like the other one, he was wearing a soldier's camouflage uniform. But he looked much younger than the first man, and long, black hair, and was wearing a red bandana that covered the top of his head. "And you?" Snake asked irritably.  
  
"I am known as the Wayfarer," he answered in an effusive, almost cheerful, tone.  
  
"Wayfarer...." Snake repeated softly under his breath. Then it dawned on him. "So, from the name, I take it you're the leader of this little operation, huh?"  
  
"Exactly, Snake," he replied. "Indeed, I am the founder and driving force behind New Way."  
  
"Pleased to meet you," Snake spat sarcastically.  
  
"Now now, no need to be so belligerent, Snake," chided the Wayfarer. "It won't do you any good anyway, especially since we have much to discuss."  
  
"What the hell is there for us to talk about?!" Snake shot back. "If you're wondering who the girl and I are working for, it's like I told your other lieutentants, the answer is 'no one'. We're here on our own. And you can forget getting any information about Hikaru. I'll die before I tell you anything about her."  
  
"I figured as much. I know the legendary Solid Snake is not the type to betray a comrade," replied the Wayfarer. "Fortunately for both of us, I am not here to press you for information."  
  
Now Snake was getting really agitated. Here was the leader of the terrorist organization that had overrun the Sierra Outpost and seized Metal Gear, and he had the gall to come and talk to him as if they were old friends?! Just what kind of game was this Wayfarer playing with him?! "If you're not here to interrogate me, then just what the hell is it that you want?!" demanded Snake.  
  
"I just wanted to talk with you, Snake," came the Wayfarer's cool reply. "Man-to-man, that's all. Just two battle-hardened soldiers, warriors who have seen their fair share of combat." Snake just snorted disdainfully. Wayfarer ignored him and continued. "We're a lot alike, you and I; we've seen a lot of warfar. You, you've had to fight the wars of pencil-pushers, always getting caught up in some sick power struggle. Me, well, I grew up in the battlefield too. As you may have guessed from my ethnicity, I grew up in the Middle East. I was always caught up in the bloodshed and violence and terrorism that plagues the region to this day. A lot of the suffering I saw was caused by the U.S.-backed Israel and dictators propped up by America, but also...."  
  
"Oh yeah, now I see," cut in Snake carpingly. "You're nothing but another disgruntled Arab. Bet you were one of the ones cheering when those planes crashed into the World Trade Center."  
  
In an instant, the Wayfarer's amiable demeanor vanished, and his face contorted into an expression of pure rage. "HOW DARE YOU!!" he cried, running up to Snake and giving him a sharp rap on the side of the head. "You couldn't be more wrong about me. I was sickened as much as any American by 9-11. In fact, it was that event that opened my eyes, convinced me to begin the New Way."  
  
"Oh really?" Snake asked, trying to show mock curiosity, but in reality, he was now a bit intrigued.  
  
"Yes, it was," continued the Wayfarer. "If you must know, yes, I actually WAS a member of al-Qaeda, suckered in by Osama's dogma. I grew up thinking the Western and developed world were to blame for all the world's problems. But on that day, seeing all that destruction, I learned there was no one party to blame. We were just as responsible. In fact, ALL organizations with a stake on the world stage bore some responsibility for all the world's problems.  
  
"So I left al-Qaeda and started my own group, with a new goal. I gathered around me people from across the globe who had realized the same thing I had, whose lives had been ruined forever. You've heard the life stories of my other lieutentants: how the Cyborg Twins' lives were destroyed by the barbarism of bigoted Americans, how Piranha's family was murdered by greedy, corrupt politicians, how Trudy's sense of self was shattered when she found out her research was used for ill. And Wolframite bears his own private pain, but I won't discuss it here."   
  
Snake turned to look at the other soldier present, but he remained mute, his expression now unreadable. So he turned back to the Wayfarer and asked, "Okay, just WHAT is it you and the others 'realized'"?  
  
"That as long as things continue this way, the cycle of war and suffering will never end," Wayfarer said. "The Western world and their allies will continue to play chess with lives and nations, and there will be those who rashly resort to violence to resist them. Not only that, there will always be the unscrupulous that prey upon others, like the ones that had Piranha's family killed. And so many are too foolish to see past petty differences, like race and religion. Conflict breeds conflict, brutality breeds more brutality.  
  
"But.... if a major power, a third party, were to enter the fray, and begin to work toward change, they perhaps the world could be reformed. That's why we seized this base, and Metal Gear. With that, we'll have the power we need to start putting our plans into action."  
  
"What a load of crap!" snapped Snake, not buying a word of what the Wayfarer had said. "You say you were sickened by the 9-11 attacks, yet you're willing to use a weapon that can cause something much worse?!"  
  
Wayfarer bit his lip. "It is my hope that we never have to actually USE Metal Gear. I only plan on using it as a means to bluff the world powers, to merely begin the first stage of our plans."  
  
"And what if they call your bluff? Huh? What then? Will you use it?" Snake demanded harshly.  
  
"Only as a last resort," was the Wayfarer's quick response. "I do not wish to launch any nuclear weapons, but I will threaten to use them to further the cause of New Way. I want nothing less than to stop the madness that plagues the world. You, of all people, should understand that."  
  
"Shut up! You don't know ANYTHING about me!!" cried Snake vehemently. "Just why did you bring me here anyway?! What can you possibly gain from me? I thought you'd go after Hikaru again, especially after how the Geneticist was so interested in her."  
  
"True, the girl could be useful," admitted the Wayfarer. "But I was more interested in you. Like I said, you and I are a lot alike, even if you're not willing to admit it."  
  
"You still haven't answered my question," said Snake. "What do you want from me?"  
  
"I was hoping I could convince you to join us, to take up the cause of New Way," answered the Wayfarer at last.  
  
Snake just stared at him incredulously. "Hell. No," he said in a flat tone. "Besides, I got four of your closest friends killed. Why the hell would you want me as part of your group after I did that?"  
  
"I have my own reasons," the Wayfarer said nonchalantly. "I see that you're not in the mood to even consider my offer, but perhaps in time...." He turned to leave, but then suddenly turned to Wolframite. "Stay here and watch over him. The girl disabled my Hind D, and she's still on the loose. No doubt she'll come looking for her friend. If she makes it all the way here, you'll have to face her."   
  
Wolframite simply nodded, and then the Wayfarer left. Snake could hear the heavy steel door shut loudly. Wolframite turned to look at Snake again with his expressionless stare, then turned and walked away. It wasn't long before Snake lost sight of him; the dim lighting in his surrounding area limited his vision considerably. So now, once again, Snake was all alone.  
  
**************  
  
The cargo elevator continued its steady, rhythmic hum as it headed downward. Down into the heart of what was known as the Sierra Outpost. On it were two New Way soldiers and a whole bunch of crates and boxes, carrying all sorts of equupment needed for New Way's operations in the underground area of the base.  
  
"So the little girl managed to escape the Wayfarer, I hear," said one of the soldiers.  
  
"Yeah, the little brat busted his Hind," answered the other guard. "But at least we got Snake."  
  
"Doesn't really matter that she got away anyway," said the first soldier. "Sure she's got that crazy voodoo magic or whatever, but she doesn't know about the underground base. And even if she did, there's dozens of guards armed with foam packs up there around the entrance. No friggin' way she'd make it past them."  
  
"Uh huh. The little twit doesn't know jack about tactical espionage," replied the second trooper.  
  
Soon the freight elevator reached the bottom and the two guards left for their new assignments. Then forklifts came and hauled the stacks of crates and boxes to a nearby storage area. There they were left, and once no one was around....  
  
On top of one of the stacks of crates that had been brought down rested a single cardboard box. And from that cardboard box, out came Hikaru Shidou, with a look of indignation and rage upon her face. *So they think I wouldn't find this place? They think I can't play their little game the way Snake can?* she thought angrily to herself. *They'll regret underestimating me!!*   
  
It had taken her over an hour to finally make it to where the damaged Hind D had landed. It had landed right next to the area that housed the large cargo elevator that went down into the underground base. And it had taken another half hour to sneak past all the armed guards, get into a cardboard box and make her way into the next load of cargo headed down to the base. But she had finally made it. From what she had overheard back on the surface, this was where Snake was being held. And now, it was time to get to work.  
  
Hikaru quietly climbed down from the stack of crates and made her way to the large doorway that was the only exit out of the storage room. The large door had a big number 4 on it, but fortunately, Hikaru had come prepared. She pulled out a security card she had managed to find before coming down here. It had a number 4 on it as well, just high enough to get her out of the storage area. She promptly slid it through the electronic lock and the door hissed open.  
  
And on the other side of the doorway was another guard who had been about to unlock the door from the other side. Hikaru looked up and stared at her unexpected guest, who just stared back at her with a dumbfounded look of his own.  
  
Hikaru knew she had to act fast, or everything would be ruined. Before the guard could get over his shock, she reached out and grabbed his head in her hands, and sent a surge of heat energy right into his brain. The guard was unconscious before he hit the floor.  
  
"That was too close," Hikaru thought aloud as she began to slowly drag the guard's limp body into the storage room. She got the cardboard box she had used to sneak onto the freight elevator and, with some difficulty, stuffed him into the box and closed it. Now no one would find him until he managed to regain consciousness, and by then, Hikaru planned to have already rescued Snake and reduced Metal Gear to cinders.  
  
It had taken her a while, but Hikaru knew she had to take the time to hide that guard's body, or she'd risk letting the others guards know she had made it to the underground base. She wanted to rescue Snake as soon as possible, but knew it was necessary to be patient and handle things the right way. In her short time with Snake, she had quickly learned the finer points of the art of tactical espionage, and she was going to use her newfound knowledge the best she could.  
  
But finding Snake was easier said than done. After walking around the interior of the underground base for a few minutes, she quickly learned that this area was just as labyrinthine and mazelike as the other areas in the outpost she had been to. So she treaded with extreme caution, gradually working her way around and making a cognitive map as she went along. Soon she had a fairly good idea of the layout of the floor she was on. Fortunately, there were no security cameras, and she had managed to swiftly evade the handful of guards that were patrolling the area.  
  
Soon enough, Hikaru stumbled onto an elevator that only lead down. Having seen no other way off her level besides the big freight elevator, she hit the down button to call up the elevator. The elevator door opened up almost instantly, and after stepping inside, Hikaru saw why. It only went down one floor. If this was how the entire underground base was set up, this was going to take even longer than she thought.  
  
When the elevator opened up, a long hallway stretched out before her, about thirty meters long, with a door on either side of the hallway, and another door down at the other end. Hikaru quivkly ran to the other side of the hallway and opened the electronic door.   
  
Again, she was greeted with another rude surprise; as soon as she opened the door, a weird, sallow gas came out of the doorway. Was this that gas the Geneticist had used to trap her in that cell? No, it was the wrong color. Hikaru deduced that it must have been poison gas - another enemy trick Snake had told her about. She could just rush in and hold her breath until she found her way out, but since she had no idea how big the room was, it would be foolish to try. She would have to go back and find a gas mask.  
  
Hikaru decided to try one of the other rooms in the hallway first. When she went in the one on her right, she noticed it looked a lot like that wreck room area she and Snake had seen in the first building they infiltrated. Hikaru immediately went to work, rummaging through all the stuff in the room trying to find a gas mask.  
  
Eventually, she found one. In one of the storage lockers, there was an M-16 assault rifle, a small pistol, a bunch of grenades, some magazines titled 'Playboy' or something, and a gas mask. Hikaru quickly snatched it up, relieved she had finally managed to obtain such a crucial piece of equipment.  
  
Hikaru turned to leave, but then went back to the locker again. She reached in and timidly picked up the handgun, half-believing something would go wrong just by touching it. *Should I take this too? Will I need it?* she thought to herself. If her experiences in Cephiro and here at the Sierra Outpost had taught her anything, it was to be ready for anything, to expect th unexpected. After fumbling with the heavy weapon for a few seconds, she put it back in the locker. Guns weren't her style anyway; better to stick with her sword and her fire magic. Besides, she had caused enough death already; if she ran into any more guards, better to render them unconscious with bursts of heat than to kill them.  
  
She turned to leave again, but just as she was about to make it out the door, she heard voices - and they were coming closer. Panicking, Hikaru ran back to the lockers and shut herself in one of the empty ones. Her quick thinking saved her from an ugly confronatation. Peering through the ventilation slits of the locker, she saw three fully armed guards stroll into the room and seat themselves at the table, chatting among themselves. Hikaru saw they were also carrying gas masks, so she reasoned they had just come from somewhere beyond the gas-filled room.  
  
Hikaru wasn't sure just how much time had passed, nor was she really listening to what the guards were saying. She was too busy concentrating on breathing as quietly as possible and standing absolutely still. Nervous sweat began to form on her brow. Then she remembered how she had been in the exact same situation only hours earlier, only that time, Snake was with her too. *Snake.... Just hold on, Snake,* she thought desperately. *I'm sure I'll be out of here soon. I'll get you out of here, I swear it!*  
  
Then one of the guards said something that almost gave Hikaru a heart attack. "Hey, why's this locker open? The gas mask is gone. Stevie shouldn't be back here for another hour." It took all of Hikaru's self-control to keep from letting out a nervous yelp and continue staying absolutely still and silent.  
  
"Forget it, man. No big deal. Let's go, we're due back on the surface," said another one of the guards. And with that, the three of them left.   
  
Hikaru remained in the locker for another minute or so, just to be sure they were gone and weren't coming back. Once she was certain they had left for good, she let out a huge sigh of relief and opened the locker door. "Another close call," She said aloud to no one in particular. She had had a lot of close calls in the past few hours, and it was starting to take its toll on her. But she'd put up with it, for Snake's sake.  
  
She prepared the leave the soldier's wreck room yet again, but before she could, she heard something else that stopped her in her tracks.   
  
"Hikaru. Hikaru, are you there?"  
  
Another voice, and it was calling her by name! This time though, it was a voice from INSIDE the room. The voice sounded staticy, so it must have been coming from some sort of radio. Hikaru turned around and followed the source of the crackling static, and there, at the far end of the room, was a walkie-talkie.  
  
Again the mysterious voice boomed. "Hikaru, are you there? If you are, pick up the radio, please." Hikaru could better make out the voice now. It seemed to be a woman's voice, but it wasn't anyone she'd heard before. Yet, somehow, it sounded familiar....  
  
Hikaru knew it would be best to just get out of there and go through that gas-filled chamber now that she had a gas mask. This was probably some sort of enemy trick. But some instinct told her that she should answer whoever was on the other end. With a trembling hand, she picked up the radio. "T-this is Hikaru," she stammed nervously. "Who is this?"  
  
"Never mind," said the woman. "Listen, when you come out of that gassed room, there's a hallway with auto-guns embedded in the walls. You can't destroy them, and you can't get hold of whatever it is the guards use to switch them off."  
  
"Why are you telling me this? Just who are you?" Hikaru asked queurulously. How did this woman know she'd be here, and that she was about to go through a gas-filled room?  
  
"Just listen!" she demanded. "You'll need chaff grenades to get through that hallway. There's some in that locker you got your gas mask from. Take them and go. You need to hurry if you want to save Snake."  
  
How did she know all this, and who was she?! Was there a hidden camera in the room, watching her every move? Had they been watching her from the moment she entered the underground base? What was going on? Before Hikaru could ask any more questions, the voice spoke up again. "Oh, one more thing. You'll soon she what Piranha meant about there being more than one Metal Gear. Brace yourself; it's gonna get ugly."  
  
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Hikaru screamed in a commanding tone, having had enough of this woman's cryptic advice.  
  
All she said was, "One of your fans," and then the radio went dead.  
  
Hikaru just stood there, staring at the radio. What should she do now? If this woman was one of the enemy soldiers, then they knew she was coming. She could be walking right into a trap. But then, Hikaru realized that she was probably already doing so by coming here to rescue Snake in the first place. And she was going to go through that gassed chamber anyway, since that was the only path she hadn't gone down yet. Hikaru decided that whether or not New Way knew she was coming, she'd keep going all the same.   
  
And might as well take this woman's advice. She went back to the locker and took a sack of chaff grenades and slung it over her shoulder, then headed out the door. She looked both ways before stepping out to make sure the coast was clear, then ran the the door that led to the gas-filled room. She promptly put on her gas mask, made sure it was fastened tightly, and rushed in.  
  
*****  
  
Hey, I actually got two chapters done in one month! And I bet all these new twists are already making you anxious to read the next chapter, huh? Well, stay tuned!  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	13. Relics

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 13: Relics  
  
1-31-2004  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
It was starting to get claustrophobic in that gassed room. All the narrow pathways and the noxious-looking yellow mist lingering everywhere were making Hikaru feel uneasy. And she knew her gas mask wouldn't let her breathe safely forever; best to find a way out as soon as possible. But she knew she still had to be cautious. Even in here, there could be guards patrolling, looking for....  
  
Soft footsteps in the distance alerted Hikaru to the presence of someone else in the gassed room - no doubt a guard looking out for any signs of an intruder. And as luck would have it, Hikaru saw he happened to be blocking the door that led out of the room. *Time to dip in to my new bag of tricks,* thought Hikaru as she knocked on a wall. Soon enough, she heard him approach to investigate the noise, and Hikaru quickly ran down another path. Now that the guard had stupidly left the exit unattended, there was no one to stop Hikaru from sliding her security card into the elctronic lock and finally leaving the gassed room.  
  
As soon as the door shut behind her, Hikaru leaned against it and ripped off her gas mask, breathing a deep sigh of relief. At least that was now out of the way. Hikaru then took a good look at what lied ahead - a really long and narrow hallway. *Wait a minute.... long hallway... just like she said!* Hikaru reached out with her power, trying to see if she was also right about the auto-guns hidden in the walls. Sure enough, she could sense a lot of metal constructs within the walls they didn't feel like they belonged there, and they were too indelibly embedded for her powers to affect them.  
  
*Guess those must be the auto-guns,* Hikaru thought to herself as she dug into the pouch she swiped from the locker room and pulled out a chaff grenade. She promptly pulled the pin and chucked it down the hallway, and it bounced a few times before it went off, spewing tiny metallic strips everywhere. Hikaru dashed down the hallway, knowing from Snake that the effects of the chaff grenades didn't last very long. But thanks to her athleticism, she reached the end of the hallway before the grenade's jamming effects wore off.  
  
*So she was right about the auto-guns, whoever she was,* Hikaru silently mused. The mystery concerning her anonymous tipster still rankled. Was she an agent of New Way wanting to make sure she got through, or maybe an ally she didn't even know she had? Whatever the case, Hikaru knew she couldn't dwell on it; she had to focus on the task at hand, and that was liberating Snake.  
  
It wasn't long before she found herself in an area once again infested with armed guards and surveillance cameras. Fortunately, she still had a few chaff grenades, so the surveillance cameras wouldn't be as big of a problem as before. Sure, she could easily blow them up and permanently get rid of them, but she knew that that would arouse too much suspicion. Better to play it safe.  
  
So Hikaru went down every hallway, checking out every room, in the hopes of finding where the terrorists were holding Snake. But almost after twenty minutes of searching that area of that floor, Hikaru was still no closer to finding out where he was. She had found a couple more ration packs and another pouch with plenty of fragmentation, stun, and chaff grenades (she decided to take the whole thing - just in case) , but no Snake. But she had come across a level 5 door that was impassable because her current card didn't have a high enough security clearance.  
  
*I'll have to get a level 5 card, but where?* Hikaru thought as she prepared to round another corner, but abruptly stopped when she heard the rhythmic hum of a camera. Now she knew the stress of her adventure was really starting to get to her; she was coming too close to making fatal mistakes. *I've got to find him, and soon. I can't keep going like this.... not alone.* She wiped the nervous sweat from her forehead and then fished out another chaff grenade. As soon as it was safe to move, she bolted. But she didn't get far before she heard someone blurt out, "Hey, what was that?!" *Oh just great. Narrowly avoid one mistake just to make another,* thought Hikaru bitterly, mentally kicking herself; she had set off the chaff grenade while within the hearing range of one of the guards.   
  
She had to find a hiding place and fast. Luckily for her, she was close to the locker room where she had gotten her rations and grenades. So she dashed for the locker room. Her trembling hands fumbled for her security card, and she barely managed to get it out in time - she could hear the footsteps of the guard, and he was right around the corner. Hikaru ran in and immediately hid herself in one of the empty lockers. *I'm REALLY getting tired of this,* mused an extremely agitated Hikaru.  
  
For a couple minutes, there was complete silence, making Hikaru think the guard had went back to his post. But eventually, Hikaru heard the door slide open and someone walk in. Hikaru's heart beat accelerated as she heard him walk over to the lockers. Then he heard the lockers being slammed open. Apparently, this one actually had some brain cells. Panic threatened to overtake her, but Hikaru quickly came to her senses. *What am I so afraid for?! He's been lured to where no one else is around, so....*  
  
Once the guard came to Hikaru's locker, she was ready. As soon as he opened it, Hikaru lashed out and grabbed onto his face. Focusing her stored thermal energy, she was able to render him completely unconscious. He never even knew what hit him.  
  
*Hopefully no one will notice he's gone,* thought Hikaru worriedly as she put the guard's unconscious body in a locker. So far she avoided being discovered, but there was still the problem of finding a key card to get past that level 5 door. *Hold it.* Hikaru started rummaging through the guard's pockets and pouches. Perhaps....  
  
She felt a thin, hard piece of plastic within the guard's front pouch. *Please be a 5, please be a 5,* Hikaru silently pleaded. She pulled it out, and sure enough, it had a big number 5 on it. "Yes!" Hikaru joyfully exclaimed out loud. "Hang on Snake! Here I come!"  
  
Hikaru shut the locker and turned to leave, but something caught her eye. Hung up along one of the walls were what appeared to be weapon systems similar to Piranha's water-cannon backpack. Then it hit Hikaru; these were foam-spraying weapons they had used on her earlier. Obviously they had some down here in case she made it into the underground base. *Well, you're not using these against me again!* she thought angrily. She took the muzzle of the first gun in her hand and concentrated. Within seconds, the metal inside melted and clogged the gun. She repeated this process with all of them, rendering them completely useless. *If they try using these on me, they'll sure be in for a surprise,* Hikaru thought mischieviously. *This new power sure has been useful. I wonder just what else I can do now....*  
  
Then something else caught Hikaru's eye: folded up on a table next to her was a bunch of thick, grey suits. Hikaru figured they must have been heat-resistant suits to protect the guards from her magic. This gave Hikaru an idea. Grabbing one of the suits, she drew her sword and began to cut away at it. Soon, she had a long strip of flame-resistant material, which she tied around her forehead like a bandana. "Just like Snake," Hikaru chuckled.  
  
Having spent enough time in the locker room, Hikaru quickly exited and headed back the way she came. But in her haste, she forgot something - that pesky surveillance camera. And this time, there was no chaff grenade to jam it. By the time Hikaru realized this, it was far too late. "She's here! She's here!" came one nervous outcry. "Spread out! Find the little bitch!" was another.  
  
*Oh no! Not now!* thought Hikaru panickingly. *Got to make it to that door. Have to run for it!* Hikaru darted off, running to where she remembered seeing the door. Now that she had been found out, there was no point in being cautious anymore. Might as well make a mad dash for her goal. Fortunately, she seemed to have avoided running into any guards. Turning a corner, she saw her goal - the level 5 door that had been inaccessable before now. (Well, she could've blasted through earlier, but she didn't want the guards to know she was even there.) She whipped out her new key card and reached for the electronic lock.   
  
But before she could slide her card through the lock, she heard a flat, gruff voice from behind her. "Don't move." Hikaru turned her head to see that behind her were half a dozen guards who had armed themselves with the foam-spraying backpacks. No wonder she hadn't run into any guards on her way here - they had all armed themselves first. They all had their weapons pointed straight at her, and judging from the bloodthristy looks in their eyes, they wouldn't hesitate to fire.  
  
*Those may have worked last time, but this time I think you'll find that things don't always go as planned,* Hikaru thought bitterly. Out loud, she mockingly said, "Go ahead, try and stop me," and turned around and slid her card through the lock. She heard one of them yell "FIRE!" And an instant later, she heard a loud bang accompanied by the burbling of a viscous material. As she walked through the door, she turned back to see the entire hallway overflowing with foam, and the six guards helplessly trapped in it. Hikaru couldn't help but to smile smugly and stick her tongue out at them before the door slid shut.  
  
Hikaru then turned around to see just what it was that she she had gone through so much effort to get to. What she saw was the start of a long, winding staircase that led downward. Hikaru looked over the edge to see just how far down the stairway went. Thanks to the dim lightning in the stairway, though, it was impossible to judge how far down it went. *Well, guess I better start making my way down,* Hikaru thought to herself dryly.  
  
Before Hikaru could move however, she heard the enraged outcry of several more soldiers from behind the door. *Great. Reinforcements must have been sent,* she thought morosely. Soon they would pour through that door.... but once again, Hikaru would have a nasty surprise waiting for them....  
  
Hikaru took the grenade pouch and stuck her hand into it, and then waited for the guards to come through the door. The instant she heard one of the guards slide his card into the electronic lock, she pulled the pins from several grenades. An instant later, the door slid open to reveal a great number of angry-looking armed soliders, obviously displeased with Hikaru's earlier tactic of sabotaging their weapons. And an instant after they opened the door, Hikaru tossed the pouch their way. "Here, catch!" she shouted sardonically, then turned tail and ran down the stairway. A series of loud explosions and muffled screams of agony shrilled in Hikaru's ears, but she didn't stop for a second. She had managed to slow them down and now had to take advantage of that.  
  
But it wasn't long before she heard the heavy footfalls on metal ringing from above, alerting Hikaru of the pursuit of even more enemy soldiers. *Just how many are there?* thought a thoroughly frustrated Hikaru. *It's like they're sending the whole base after me.* Hikaru then reasoned that they most likely would pull out all the stops to get to her, now that they had seen several examples of her incredible powers.  
  
Hikaru decided she needed to do something else to slow her pursuers down. *Well, they can't keep chasing me down this stairway if part of the stairway is broken!* she reasoned. She thrust her outstretched hand above her and screamed "Flame Arrow!!" Her scorching fireball smacked into the stairs about two levels above her and immediately caused it to crumble. Several huge pieces of smoldering, twisted metal cascaded downward, letting Hikaru know that her spell had completely wrecked part of the stairway, and those soldiers wouldn't catch up to her any time soon. She also heard someone screaming "HELP ME! I'M ON FIRE!", letting Hikaru know she had accidently set one of the guards ablaze. But she didn't dare stop to think about that, or the guards she hurt or even killed with her little trick with the grenades. She forced her feelings of guilt and remorse down; she'd dwell on all that later, AFTER this whole mission was finally over with.  
  
So she continued to run down the stairs, descending into the darkness - descending towards an uncertain future. But guards high above continued to try to stop her by firing their machine guns blindly downward in hopes of hitting her. Several times, Hikaru had had close calls, bullets striking dangerously close to her. But by staying close to the walls and moving as quickly as possible, she once again managed to thwart their best efforts.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, Hikaru finally made it down to what looked like the end of the stairway. Afraid that word had been sent to whoever was down here about her advance, she immediately made her way out of the sole door on the lower level. Once on the other side, yet another gloomy, empty, winding hallway strecthed out before her, the only sound to be heard being.... the steady hum of surveillance cameras. Hikaru automatically reached for a chaff grenade to use, only to find she had no more grenades to use. *Oh lovely,* mused Hikaru bitterly. *Guess I'll have to do this the hard way....*  
  
Flattening herself against the wall, she slowly began to sidle along the wall. This way, she moved right under the first camera and stayed in its blind spot. Soon she would be safely out of the range of that first camera.... but then Hikaru saw a second one on the opposite wall. Hikaru patiently waited for it to pivot away far enough. Once it did, she sprinted to the other side and backed herself against the wall.  
  
For a few minutes, Hikaru repeated this process over and over. *It's obvious that there's something down here they want to protect if the only way to reach it is through a hall with so many cameras,* Hikaru thought to herself as she reflected on her situation. Then she remembered what her mysterious informant said that she'd soon find out what Piranha meant about there being more than one Metal Gear.   
  
She got so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice she had finally reached the end of the hallway. What was there at the end was a fairly large room, an electronic door, and one last camera overlooking everything. The only problem was that this one didn't move on a pivot like the others; it just stayed perfectly still, watching over everything.  
  
*Like a buzzard,* thought Hikaru dourly. *Guess I don't have any choice this time.* She pointed at the camera and shot a small burst of superheated plasma through her finger. The impact caused the camera to explode instantly. Once that was out of the way, he went through the door, and was overwhelmed with awe at what she saw.  
  
She had entered what was basically an enormous, underground factory, bustling with activity and the sounds of machines ceaselessly toiling. And what she saw was merely the very top; she was currently standing on the top overhanging level of the factory, basically a balcony overlooking everything else. She walked over to the edge and looked down below, and couldn't believe what she saw. An endless array of conveyor belts and assembly lines, all moving at a methodical pace. It made Hikaru recall the inside of a car factory. But these definitely weren't cars that were being constructed; just what was it New Way was creating here?  
  
Hikaru looked around some more. Then she saw that directly underneath, about three levels down, was a blast furnace, which workers were using to make parts for their creations right on the spot. Then looked to the left side of the makeshift factory, and Hikaru couldn't help but to let out a gasp.  
  
There were the finished products of New Way's endeavors here: small, bipedal armored units. Hikaru had no doubt those were duplicates of the original Metal Gear, the TX-55. She took another quick look at the rest of New Way's little factory - the whole place had a haphazard and thrown-together look and feel to it, as if it had been set up recently and very hastily. Now Hikaru knew what Piranha was talking about, and why she and Snake had come across so many caches and stockpiles of all sorts of machinery. It was all used for this factory to create a swarm of the older Metal Gears!!  
  
Hikaru clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, totally overwhelmed with rage. It wasn't enough for New Way that they had control of the most powerful Metal Gear; now they were making an army of the older, littler ones! They all preened and postured as if they were working to make the world a better place, but here they were, making more of the deadliest weapon ever created!  
  
"Pretty impressive, ain't it?" came a malicious voice from behind her. She whirled around to face whoever it was. There were two New Way soldiers standing at either side of the door she had come through, as if they had been waiting for her - no doubt they had been warned about her. And they had pistols drawn and aimed straight at her. "So long sweetie," said one of them, and they both fired a round.  
  
Both rounds struck Hikaru's chest plating. They didn't penetrate her armor, but Hikaru still felt the sheer force of the bullets through her armor. It felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to her chest. Overwhelmed with pain, she staggered backwards and backed into the railing of the top platform. Hikaru tried to regather her wits and fight back, but one of the guards was already upon her; he charged at her and punched her in such a way that her body went over the railing. Hikaru desperately reached out and grabbed hold of the platform before she could fall, but the guard wouldn't give her a chance to pull helself up. "This is it, you little punk," he cackled, then slammed his foot down onto Hikaru's fingers. By some miracle, she managed to hold on. But then the guard stomped on her fingers a second time, and the pain was enough to cause Hikaru to let go.  
  
*No, it can't end like this! I came too far to fail now!* Sorrowful thoughts like these were the only things running through Hikaru's mind as she plummeted three stories.  
  
And landed in the blast furnace's vat of molten steel.  
  
The two guards had leaned over the platform to watch Hikaru's fall and were quite pleased with themselves when they saw her body plunge into the molten metal. "Finally, that's over with," said one of them triumphantly.  
  
"Yep. She won't be messing things up anymore," said the other. "Can't BELIEVE how one little girl could...." He stopped suddenly, noticing something strange happening below.  
  
The New Way members working the blast furnace noticed something was wrong too, as the smelting process had been abruptly halted. One of the workers overseeing the vat noticed that it wasn't as hot anymore, and the surrounding area was actually getting cooler. A minute later, his eyes widened with shock when the molten steel in the vat suddenly SOLIDIFIED!  
  
The weird turn of events didn't stop there. Cracks began to form in the now-solid metal, as if some powerful force was attempting to break free. Heat and steam began to pour out of the cracks.  
  
Then, it was as if a volcano had erupted in the middle of the factory. An eardrum-rupturing explosion went off in the center of the vat, sending pieces of twisted, charred metal and broken machine parts everywhere, and had all the workers fleeing in horror.  
  
And out from the shattered remains of the blast furnace stepped a solitary figure: Hikaru Shidou, still alive and kicking, her armor and clothes in perfect condition, and completely unharmed. And she was still mad as hell.  
  
Previously she had wondered just what the extent of her new powers was. Now she knew. Her body's capacity to absorb heat was so great, she sucked in every last bit of energy from the molten metal in the vat. And it showed. Her body gave off a dazzling aura of white light that radiated all around her. Tendrils of heat and supercharged plasma lashed out all around her, incinerating everything that she came too close to. Even the metal platings of the floor she stood on began to liquify. And her eyes seemed to glow the color of bright, red blood.  
  
But she had been pushed to her limits. The amount of heat energy she had absorbed was almost more than her body could handle. It felt as if every cell in her body, her ENTIRE BODY, was going to explode. Hikaru instinctively knew she couldn't hold on to all this power for long; her mind could only think of one thing.... RELEASE!  
  
And she knew exactly what she wanted to release it on. All around her was equipment these terrorists were using to create more Metal Gears, weapons capable of causing unimaginable horror. She wasn't going to let this go on.... she now had the power to stop it.... she would destroy them.... DESTROY THEM ALL!!!!  
  
With merely a thought, Hikaru sent a single bolt of charged plasma at the nearest machine used to assemble Metal Gear parts. Every part of the machine, the conveyor belt, the robotic arms, the motor, computer terminals.... everything was blown away completely, never to be used again. She turned around and faced the remains of the blast furnace.... that had to go too. Another plasma blast.... and nothing was left of the furnace.  
  
Hikaru still hadn't released enough energy, but that was just fine, because there was plenty of machines left to get rid of. So she continued to vent her excess energy. And her rage. One by one, the assembly machines on the lower level were completely annihilated by Hikaru's power. And she didn't stop with the machines on the bottom floor. She directed her blasts upwards as well, leveling the monitoring stations and crane apparatuses on the second level, turning them into useless junk.   
  
Bits of debris swirled around everywhere, fires roared out of control, puddles of liquified metal were forming all over the place, and the loud crashing of falling pieces of metal and machinery resounded all around her. But Hikaru took no notice. In her frenzied rage and driven by the overload of power, all she could think about was making sure the factory was completely destroyed. All the workers present were wisely fleeing; in her current overpowered state, even one of her stray blasts would incinerate a person in less than a second.  
  
And so Hikaru continued carving a path of destruction throughout the factory. Then she came to the side of the factory and saw what had enraged her so much - the TX-55 Metal Gears New Way had manufactured, about a dozen lined up neatly in a row. This was it, time to get rid of them! She gathered the rest of her excess power, and then, in one tremendous burst, released it all upon the bipedal tanks. Every last one of them blew up with a thunderous roar and their small remaining parts flew about everywhere. But none of them ever even touched Hikaru, for they vaporized as they made contact with the supercharged aura of energy still swirling around her.  
  
And so it was finished. Every last Metal Gear TX-55 was destroyed, and there was no way any more would be made here. The field of energy surrounding Hikaru gradually began to fade away and she slumped to her knees. She had cut loose enough so that her remaining stored energy was an amount her body could handle, but she still felt like she was in a state of frenzy, her heart still pounding in her chest. She looked around her and surveyed the carnage she had wrought single-handedly. Moments ago, she had reveled in unleashing all that anger and power and causing so much destruction, but now, she was absolutely horrified by what she had been capable of doing.  
  
But then she remembered just why she was here: to save Snake and get rid of the biggest threat, the Metal Gear Gander. She looked around for an exit, but all the doors were melted shut. But for Hikaru, that wasn't exactly a problem.  
  
"Ruby Lightning!" she yelled, releasing her magical blast at a nearby wall and punching a gaping hole through it. She went through the hole and quickly looked around to see if anyone was nearby. Thankfully, the hallway she had entered was vacant, probably because everyone in the vicinity had fled from her wrath in a wild panic. She sighed deeply, and then continued on her way into the heart of the underground base.  
  
******  
  
Wouldn't ya know it: I get two chapters done in one month, and then I don't finish the next chapter for EXACTLY a month. God, do I ever suck.  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	14. Swordplay

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 14: Swordplay  
  
3-14-2004  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
Snake had no idea how much time had passed while he was trapped in the darkness. An hour, maybe two, who knew? All he really knew was that he was hopelessly trapped in this damn metal harness, and one of New Way's top lieutenants was here making sure it stayed that way. He still couldn't see this 'Wolframite', however, as he seemed unwilling to even come close to Snake. *Coward,* he thought accusingly.  
  
Snake's only hope for escape lay in Hikaru's hands. But Hikaru probably didn't have any idea where to start looking for him. And she was still too new to the art of tactical espionage. Perhaps she had already been found out and....  
  
*NO! Don't dwell on thoughts like that,* Snake mentally chided himself. *Besides, Hikaru's already proven herself to be a capable little girl. I'm sure she's fine.* But still, Snake didn't like being in the dark about where Hikaru was or how she was doing....  
  
A sudden noise quickly snapped Snake to attention. It was a voice. Was it Wolframite's? No, it sounded so.... staticy. It had to me an incoming radio call. Snake listened again: "This is the Wayfarer. Repeat, this is the Wayfarer. Wolframite, come in. Wolframite!!" the staticy voice rang.  
  
A small beep let Snake know Wolframite had responded to the Wayfarer's call. He still couldn't see him, for Wolframite still shrouded himself in the darkness, but he could easily hear everything he and his boss were saying. "Wolframite here," he said calmly. "What's wrong?"  
  
"We don't know how, but this Hikaru girl managed to infiltrate the underground portion of our base. She's killed three of our men, incapacitated over a dozen others, and...." Wayfarer paused, as if he couldn't believe what he had been about to say.  
  
"Go on," said Wolframite, his voice still as calm as ever. "Hikaru has what?"  
  
"She's found our makeshift TX-55 factory," finished the Wayfarer. After hearing this, Snake felt like he was going to have a heart attack. They were making MORE OF THE OLD METAL GEARS?!!  
  
"Not only that," continued the Wayfarer, "but she's completely leveled it and destroyed all the Metal Gears we manufactured there. She's unleashed a level of power we didn't even know she had. Eyewitnesses say she fell into the blast furnaces and sucked all the energy out of it, then used that power to raze the factory to the ground."  
  
*She WHAT?!!* Snake couldn't believe what he was hearing. How had Hikaru managed to harness all that energy?! *At least she destroyed the Metal Gears. One less thing to worry about.*  
  
"Wolframite, we've underestimated her for too long. She must be stopped," the Wayfarer went on, sounding more than a littled worried. "She was last seen somewhere near Snake's cell; no doubt she's trying to free her partner. She'll be coming for you, so you must confront her and stop her for good."  
  
"Not to worry," said Wolframite sternly. "I have a trick up my sleeve. Her magic will do her no good in this room. I'll beat her at her own game."  
  
"See to it, my friend. Wayfarer out," he replied, then the radio went dead.  
  
Snake just listened and, perhaps for the first time in his life, felt completely helpless. Hikaru was indeed coming for him, but this Wolframite had some sort of trap ready for her, and there was nothing he could do to help her. Snake briefly wondered if this is what Hikaru felt when she had been the Geneticist's prisoner, knowing her friend was coming but also knew a trap had been set. And now, through a twist of fate, their roles had been reversed. It would have almost been funny if the situation was not so dire. *This is just wonderful. I'm trapped in this harness and freezing my ass off, Hikaru's charging right into God knows what and I can't do a damned thing to help her, and on top of all that, my nose itches.*  
  
********  
  
Without warning, three guards, armed with M-16 and hungry for blood, stormed into the wreck room that was at the next-to-lowest level of the base. They were frantically searching for an intruder who had been sighted in the area - and that intruder was one Hikaru Shidou. Unfortunately for them, she was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Damnit, she had to have come in here!" spat one of the guards in a furious rage. "There's nowhere else for her to hide!"  
  
"Chill the hell out, man," said a second guard. "We've got guards sweeping this whole level. We'll find the brat sooner or later."  
  
"Hopefully sooner," the last guard cut in, this one a Latino woman. "That little girl is a walking pile of napalm."  
  
The trio of New Way soldiers turned to leave, but the one who had openly voiced his frustration suddenly turned around and faced the oppostie side of the room. A long row of lockers was located there. Some of them were not being used by anyone, making them a perfect hiding place for....  
  
Without warning, he opened fire with his rifle and wildly sprayed bullets into all the lockers and didn't stop until the entire clip was emptied. For a moment he just stood there, watching the lockers for any signs of life from within. His two comrades just stared at him. "Ummm, Danny, people here actually use those lockers, you know," the Latino woman chided.  
  
He just continued to stare at the lockers, but there was still no hint of anyone hiding in them. "But.... I just thought...." he stuttered, but eventually threw his arms up in solemn defeat. "Ah hell with it. She ain't here, let's go."  
  
And so the three guards left to continue their search for Hikaru, convinced that she wasn't hiding in their wreck room. Too bad they hadn't thought of looking ABOVE them....  
  
Hikaru looked down from her hiding spot and watched them leave, her arms and legs outstrected against the metal support beams, propping her up against the ceiling. *Good thing I decided NOT to use the lockers this time,* she thought darkly as she dropped down from her perch on the ceiling. She went over to the exit and after carefully listening for any signs of troops sweeping the hallways, took out the level 6 security card she swiped moments before, slid it through the lock and quickly ran out.   
  
*I've got to be getting closer,* she thought to herself. She had overheard a lot of the guards saying Snake was being held around here somewhere, guarded by someone called Wolframite. *Wolframite? Sounds like a Sailor Moon villain. Well, I'll find him and beat him!* But then she remembered her unfortunate encounter with the Geneticist, and how she had accidently caused her death. She was fearful about the possibility of causing yet another needless death, but she pressed on anyway. Snake had put his life on the line to rescue her, and now it was time to return the favor.  
  
Relieved that she didn't hear the heavy footfalls of guards anywhere around her, she quickly ran ahead, looking for any more doors she had overlooked earlier. Hikaru could somehow sense she was getting closer to her goal. Then she saw it; a big metal door with a number 6 on it, and she knew she hadn't been in this room get because she had only gotten her level 6 card a few minutes ago, right before the guards found her out and started pursuing her. She hastily took out the card and slid it through the lock. The door slowly slid open, and Hikaru waited a few seconds before entering. Satisfied that there wasn't a small army ready to ambush her, she ran through the doorway.  
  
Judging from the echoes of her footsteps, the room she had just entered fairly large and wide open. It was also almost completely pitch black, so she couldn't really tell. But all of a sudden, some overhead lights came on, illuminating the room a bit. It wasn't much, but it was enough to see that it was one big square room, and at the far left corner was....  
  
"SNAKE-CHAN!!" Hikaru cried out upon finally seeing her friend. There he was at the far side of the room, unconscious, locked up in some sort of metal harness that bound his arms and legs. "Snake-chan!" she cried again. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!" But before she could even get halfway toward him....  
  
"I'm afraid I cannot allow that," came a voice with a strange accent from behind her. She whirled around and saw a man standing beside a wall. Hikaru looked closer, and was able to make out just what he looked like. He was quite tall and was wearing a camouflage uniform similar to those worn by the rest of the soldiers on the base. He had wavy, frizzled grey-white hair, a grey moustache and beard, and an eyepatch covering his left eye. Lastly, she saw something was strapped to his back, but in the dim lighting, she couldn't tell what it was. "I've been waiting for you," he said to her.  
  
"And who are you?" demanded Hikaru, even though she already had a good idea what his answer would be.  
  
"My name is Wolframite," he calmly replied. "I must say, you've surprised all of us. Without Solid Snake to aid you, none of us expected you to be able to infiltrate our underground hideout. And your power.... the power you used to level our factory, that far surprassed what Trudy estimated you were capable of. But I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to go any further."  
  
"How do you plan to stop me?!" Hikaru shot back threateningly. "I could incinerate you before you can say 'Metal Gear'!" Of course, she didn't really WANT to incinerate anyone, but she hoped that she could scare this Wolframite into backing down.  
  
Wolframite, however, saw through her spiel and shook his head, saying "You don't fool me. I can see it in your eyes; you want to avoid killing if you can. But even if that weren't so, you wouldn't be able to anyway." Then he turned to some sort of small control terminal on the wall and flipped a switch. A mechanical clanking sound and electronic humming from above made Hikaru look up. Several air vents on the ceiling began spewing transparent pink gas into the room. This was the same gas that Trudy Nolan had flooded her cell with to keep her from escaping. "You can easily dispose of me, true, but now, as you can see, you'd take yourself and Solid Snake in the process."  
  
Hikaru's spirits sank; her one major advantage had now been taken away. But she wasn't about to give up. "Magic or no magic, I'll still beat you and free Snake!!" she shouted defiantly.  
  
"I had no doubt you would try. That is why I was chosen to confront you," Wolframite replied. Then he reached behind him with his right hand, and Hikaru heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. "We will settle this the way both of our ancestors did in our homelands: blade to blade," he said, pointing his long broadsword at her, as if challenging her to take him on. Hikaru just stare at the sword for a moment. It glistened in the low lighting of the room with a silvery-white splendor. But what really caught her attention was what she 'sensed' from the metal in the sword. It was the exact same feeling as when she 'sensed'....  
  
"That's the same stuff Piranha's suit was made of!" she blurted out in astonishment. Now this man was wielding a sword with the same super-strong metal?  
  
"Indeed it is," replied Wolframite with a smirk. "It is a special alloy of my own making, comprised primarily of tungsten. It is my most spectacular invention and like my signature - which is why I call myself 'Wolframite'. Before I joined New Way, I was a renowned metallurgist, and as you can see, my skills with metal has been a great asset to my comrades." He then made several broad slashing movements through the air, each swipe impossibly fluid and graceful, each move blending seamlessly into the next. "And I was also a champion of fencing and swordplay," he continued. "No one in Germany could ever defeat me. And neither will you."  
  
"We'll see about that!" Hikaru spat angrily, drawing her own sword from her glove ornament. She assumed the traditional kendo stance and mentally readied herself for the intense battle ahead. "But listen up: this sword was made only for me. If you touch it, it'll burst into flames, and you'll end up killing us all," she informed him.  
  
"Very well. Seeing everything you've been capable of already, I have no reason to doubt you," said Wolframite, looking not at all surprised by the bizarreness of her statement. "And now, we battle!" he then shouted, and suddenly dashed toward Hikaru and reared back his arm, preparing to bring his sword down onto Hikaru.  
  
But Hikaru was not one to be taken so easily unawares. She brought up her sword to block his blow. At first, she feared that their swords clashing against each other would create a spark that would set off the gas, but apparently the contact of Escudo and Wolframite's alloy did not create one.   
  
Seeing that the gas wouldn't be set off by their dueling, she pushed forward with her sword and shoved Wolframite back slightly. Then she sprinted forward and came at him with an upward swing of her sword. But Wolframite proved to be as speedy and vigilant as she was, and quickly moved his sword to deflect the blow. Hikaru then did a 360 spin and attempted to attack Wolframite's other side. But again, Wolframite proved to be just as fast as her, and once again blocked her attack.  
  
"Extraordinary!" exclaimed Wolframite gleefully as their swords were locked together. "Never before have I faced a foe that displayed such skill and vigilance! This will be most interesting!"  
  
Now Wolframite shoved Hikaru backward and immediately came at her again. With both hands gripping his broadsword, he swung it horizontally with a wide arc as he closed in one her. Hikaru pushed off from the ground and dashed to the side, successfully avoiding Wolframite's swordswipe. She turned back to face him, hoping to catch him in a vulnerable position after his failed attack, but again, he was just too fast. By the time Hikaru had turned to face him, he had already recovered and was advancing on her again. He began to repeatedly attack her with an air of maniacal viciousness, but Hikaru managed to parry every swipe, thrust and swing. However, the sheer savageness of Wolframite's assault prevented Hikaru from striking back at him. *He's putting me on the defensive! I've got to find a way to get at him!* she thought panickingly.  
  
"Come now!" he taunted her as he continued his relentless assault. "You displayed such potential moments before! Don't disappoint me now!" His taunting helped to snap Hikaru out of her worried state and find a way to strike back at him. Just as he was about to try one of his downward slices, Hikaru charged into him as his sword was raised upwards. She struck him with enough to knock him down. Seeing the opportunity to end the fight right then and there, Hikaru raised her sword over her head to bring it crashing down onto Wolframite, but he managed to roll out of the way in time. "Now THAT'S more like it!" he gleefully jeered.  
  
Now he was beginning to get on Hikaru's nerves. He came at her again with a downward slice, but Hikaru parried and then tried to come at him from the side, but he avoided her blow as well. Hikaru realized that Wolframite was correct; he was indeed her equal at swordsmanship in every way. He was just as tough as Lafarga! No, this battle was even worse. Unlike that battle, her enemy wasn't under a mind-control spell and free to think for himself. Even worse, this time she didn't even have THE OPTION of using her magic! *But I can't give up,* she thought resolutely. *I WON'T GIVE UP!*  
  
Deciding that she needed to go on the offensive, she charged forward and swung her sword as hard as she could. This time, Wolframite barely managed to block her attack. The deafening clang from their swords colliding echoed throughout the room that served as their arena, and for a moment, their swords were locked together. Despite the choking mist and oppressive darkness, Hikaru was able to get a good look at his face and saw the bloodlust, the wicked gleam in his only eye. She realized then that the only way Wolframite would stop was if either she was felled, or if he was. And either way, she would end up not liking it.  
  
While the two of them were still locked in that stance, Wolframite reared his leg back and brought his knee right up into Hikaru's midsection, knocking the wind out of her and pushing her back. Wolframite saw his opportunity, and swung his sword at the staggered Hikaru. Hikaru was able to bring up her sword to block it, but the force of his blow knocked it out of her hand and sent it flying halfway across the room.  
  
"It appears that our duel will end a bit prematurely," Wolframite said to the now-disarmed Hikaru. "Truly a shame, but I have been charged with stopping you for good, so...." With that, he bolted twoard Hikaru, preparing for another broad slash. But Hikaru wasn't about to roll over and die. Kendo was not just about physical prowess, but also about mental and spiritual valorousness. She refused to give in to despair, to overwhelming odds. Especially now, since she had a goal to strive for: rescuing Solid Snake!  
  
She backflipped out of the way before Wolframite could reach her. Upon landing, she pushed off from the ground and rushed forward with everything she had. She charged forward shoulder-first, and before Wolframite had any idea what what going on, Hikaru rammed into him with enough force to momentarily knock him silly. Now that Wolframite was down for the moment, she quickly ran to recover her sword. It didn't take long for Wolframite to recover. But once he had, he was greeted with the unsettling sight of Hikaru bolting toward him at top speed, sword at the ready, and with a face that would give even Big Boss pause.  
  
*He's too dangerous an enemy to take lightly,* she thought to herself as she advanced on Wolframite. *I can't afford to hold back. I've got to come at him with everything I've got!*  
  
And that's exactly what she did. Using Newton's third law of physics to the fullest, she pushed off from the ground and came right at Wolframite and thrust her sword. Wolframite parried her thrust, but then she repeated her tactic of pushing off from the ground and attacked him again, this time with another downward slice. Wolframite parried this blow too, but Hikaru was far from finished. She repeatedly attacked in this manner again and again, putting Wolframite on the defensive and continuously forcing him back. What's more, she attacked with such speed and ferocity, Wolframite wasn't even able to think quick enough to keep up with her, and started to panic. And Hikaru saw it; his movements were no longer fluid and harmonious like before, and it was obvious he was losing his focus.  
  
Eventually, Hikaru came at Wolframite with a upward attack so fierce that when he blocked it, the force of her blow knocked him backward, flailing. For only a split-second, he was wide open to attack. But that split-second was all she needed. Acting purely on instinct, she thrust her sword forward and it ran right through Wolframite's abdomen and came out the other side.  
  
Blood spewed out everywhere. Blood gushed out from Wolframite's mortal wound and got all over Hikaru's hand and arm, and spattered all over her armor plate. Not to mention, blood was splattered on the wall directly behind Wolframite. Hikaru pulled her sword out of Wolframite, spilling even more blood onto the floor. She looked at her sword - completely stained red with smeared blood. She immediately recalled it, as if to banish the dreadful sight from her mind. But there was still the blood on her hand....  
  
She continued to stare at her hand stupidly, horrified by what she had done. All her previous kills, both in Cephiro and at the Sierra Outpost, had been relatively bloodless affairs. And until her arrival at the Sierra Outpost, she had never truly had to come face-to-face with the consequences of her lethal acts. She looked up from her blood-stained hand and at the dying Wolframite. He had staggered backward and now slumped up against the wall, blood still oozing out of his gaping wound. She continued to stare at the dying man, unable to cope with the gravity of what she had just done.   
  
Words began to form on her lips. "W-Why....?" she asked in a meek voice. "W-why did you have to fight? Why did you join New Way?" Silently she added, *Why did you have to fight me and force me to kill you?* Wolframite opened his mouth to speak, but violently coughed up blood instead.   
  
After a few moments, he finally said something. "You.... you are too young.... You couldn't understand." Hikaru just stood there, unable to think of anything to say. But Wolframite broke the silence and spoke up again. "The shame.... the guilt I felt.... ever since that day forty years ago," he said weakly through choked gasps. Hikaru had no idea what he was talking about, but then he continued. "Forty years ago, my father was arrested. It was then I discovered he had been a Nazi, part of Hitler's inner circle.... was a wanted war criminal. I was only five years old when they came for my father. I've lived with the shame of knowing I was the son of a such a scoundrel ever since. And others.... they always reminded me. My eye was put out by an embittered Jew who had suffered at the hands of my father...."  
  
"That's why the Wayfarer sought me out two years ago, offered me a chance to be in his revolution. He knew I wished to stop atrocities like the ones done at the hands of the Nazis and my father from ever happening again.... he knew I looked upon the state of the world today with nothing but disgust. I willingly joined him and took up his cause...."  
  
Hikaru just listened, heartbroken after hearing about Wolframite's sorrowful life - a life she had been forced to end. "Do not weep for me," he told her, seeing the tears well up in her eyes. "This is the path I chose for myself. I feel as if I can rest peacefully, knowing I died in the service of others who shared my vision." After saying that last bit, his good eye closed for the last time, and he didn't speak again.  
  
Hikaru continued to stare at his lifeless body, the mortal wound she had inflicted still clearly visible. She looked at her hand again; by now, the blood had almost completely dried. She clenched her fist and called upon her heat powers, burning away the blood on her hand. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't burn the memory of her blood-stained hand out of her mind....  
  
Slowly and timorously, she turned away from Wolframite's dead body and walked over to the control panel. She flipped the switch, and the volatile pink gas was sucked out of the room. Then she walked over to the harness holding Snake prisoner. He was completely unconscious, but was still breathing, and... Geez, was he naked? She reached out and touched Snake's face, patting it lightly. "Snake-chan, Snake-chan," she said over and over, trying to wake him up.   
  
Eventually, Snake opened his eyes. As his eyes came into focus, he saw Hikaru standing there in front of her. "H-Hikaru...." he muttered. "You... made it."  
  
"Of course I did!" replied Hikaru, actually managing a smile. "Like you said, I'd do the same for you. Hold on, I'll get you out of there." Hikaru concentrated, using her power to probe inside of the harness and find the locking mechanisms. Just as she had done with the Geneticist's holding cell, she triggered the locks to release, freeing Snake from the harness.  
  
Snake unceremoniously slumped to the floor, worn out from having been confined in the harness for so long. Still weary and dazed, he stood up and saw Hikaru staring at him with an incredulous look. At first, he had no idea why she was staring at him like that. Then he looked down. Obviously, when the terrorists had stripped him of everything, they had stripped him of EVERYTHING, even....  
  
"GAAHH!!" Snake yelled indignantly, covering himself up. "Damnit, find my stuff!" Snake's embarrassed outburst snapped Hikaru out of her momentary stupor, and desperately looked around for Snake's clothes.  
  
"Ummm, here they are," she said, quickly snatching them up and handing them to Snake, trying not to look.... down below. Snake hastily dressed himself and checked all his weapons; all his spare ammunition was still there, and his guns were in perfect working order.  
  
"Thanks," said Snake, giving Hikaru a quick pat on the back. "By the way, I was being guarded by some guy called Wolframite. Where is he?" Hikaru's spirits, which had risen a bit after freeing her friend, immediately sank at the mention of Wolframite. She didn't reply, only pointed over to the lifeless body that was sprawled out across the room. "Oh no, you.... you didn't...." Snake stammered. It was one thing for him to always have to assume the role of the warrior and take the lives of others, but for Hikaru, who was still so young and naive....  
  
Again, Hikaru didn't say anything. She just threw herself at Snake and threw her arms around him. Her head pressed into his armored chest plate and she finally let the tears flow. She continued to sob uncontrollably as she held onto Snake, and Snake wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her.  
  
*****  
  
And once again, I lag behind in getting out a new chapter. Well, hopefully my female readers won't be as angry since I stuck in that little bit of fanservice near the end.  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	15. Find Your Way

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 15: Find Your Way  
  
4-2-2004  
  
by Grey Fox  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
*****  
  
About half a dozen armed soldiers positioned themselves in front of the only elevator door on their level, assault rifles at the ready. According to their comrades on the level just above them, the two intruders were last seen heading in the direction of the elevator before they lost sight of them. The guards knew they were coming for Metal Gear; no doubt they would take this elevator to descend further into the base.  
  
They heard the elevator suddenly spring to life, descending to their level. "Here they come!" shouted the lead soldier. "As soon as that elevator opens, FIRE!"  
  
A few seconds later, the door hissed open, and all the soldiers unloaded all their rounds into the open elevator. All this accomplish, though, was riddling the inside of the elevator with copious amounts of bullet holes. The two intruders were nowhere inside.  
  
"W-What the..." stammed the lead soldier, perplexed by this turn of events. "They weren't in.... WE'VE BEEN TRICKED! They're somewhere else!"  
  
"But they heading that way! That's the only way down onto this level," said one of the female soldiers. "Isn't it?" she then added uncertainly.  
  
"Hey, is it me, or is it getting hot in here?" asked one of the other soldiers uneasily. Now that he had mentioned it, the others began to notice it indeed was getting hotter. Much hotter. Oppressively hot.  
  
Before the guards could figure out what was happening, they began to pass out from the rapidly increasing temperature one by one. When the final guard collapsed into unconsciousness, the cover of a ventilation duct in the ceiling fell off and clattered onto the floor. And from the open ventilation duct dropped Solid Snake.  
  
Snake took a few seconds to survey his partner's handiwork and a small grin formed on his lips. Much easier and less risky than taking them all out in a firefight or sneaking up and snapping their necks one at a time. Hikaru Shidou was certainly handy to have around on a mission.  
  
"Hey Snake, a little help here," called out the Japanese schoolgirl from above. Snake looked up to see Hikaru struggling to climb out backwards, and her legs were dangling clumsily from the open duct.   
  
Snake chuckled softly, and said, "Just drop down, I'll catch you," and held out his arms to do just that. She obediently climbed out and let go, and Snake caught her just as she was about to hit the floor.  
  
"Thanks, Snake," said Hikaru as he let her down, then turned to look at the bodies of the fallen soldiers. She didn't like using her powers so viciously, but it was better than the alternative of a direct conflict. She absent-mindedly brushed some of her hair away from her face, and for the first time Snake noticed her new bandana.  
  
"Hey, what's that?" Snake asked, touching her forehead.  
  
Hikaru had no idea what he was talking about at first, then she remembered her new little fashion accessory. "Oh, that. Just something I thought I'd wear since you had one. You like it?"  
  
"Real cute," Snake answered quickly. "C'mon, let's get going before anyone else shows up."  
  
So the duo ran down the hallway, deeper into the underground base, leaving the six unconscious guards to just lie there....  
  
Or rather, five unconscious guards and one barely conscious group leader. The group leader struggled to push himself up off the floor and take out his radio....  
  
*****  
  
The Wayfarer quickly took out his radio and answered the call, listening attentively to the weak and frantic voice on the other end. "Ah, I see," he replied to his underling. "They keep coming and coming, despite all our soldiers' best efforts to apprehend them."  
  
The voice on the other end continued, and the Wayfarer's face changed to one of disapproval. "No. Don't order more troops into the area. It's obvious by now that they will find a way yo elude us no matter what we do. Instead, order everyone out of the area. Let them find their way here. I will deal with them myself." The voice on the other end then voiced his own disapproval, and the Wayfarer's tone became that of indignation. "Do not question me! They've come too far, and any further attempt to impede their advance would be futile. If they are going to be stopped, I must do it here. Wayfarer out."  
  
With that, he switched off his radio and turned to look around him. "Yes, it is here I must make my final stand. The Cyborg Twins, Piranha, Geneticist, Wolframite.... somehow they have managed to defeat them all. But even if they finally succeed in defeating me, they will still be ultimately crushbed by the very machines they have come to destroy...."  
  
*****  
  
Snake and Hikaru continued to descend further and further into the base, encountering no resistance whatsoever. Even the surveillance cameras seemed to have been turned off! Hikaru was the first to voice her concern. "I don't like this," she said darkly. "We haven't seen any patrolling guards for a while. It's like they want us to find whatever's hidden down here."  
  
"I noticed it too," replied Snake tersely. "But still, let's be careful."  
  
"So, Snake, tell me again about this 'Wayfarer' you saw. Is he really the one who's behind all this?" asked Hikaru.  
  
"Yeah, apparently," answered Snake, looking around nervously as they walked, as if expecting some trap to spring at any second. "He said he's an ex-terrorist from the Middle East who ventured out on his own with his own agenda. And he thinks capturing Metal Gear will help him realize his goals."  
  
"It still seems so ludicrous," said Hikaru dryly, "that they think using a weapon like that will help them change the world for the better. Not only that, but...." Hikaru's voiced trailed off, having noticed something strange. She raised her arm to block Snake from walking any further.  
  
"What is it?" asked Snake impatiently. They had stopped about twenty meters from the next elevator, and Snake was extremely anxious to go down that elevator and get the operation done and over with.  
  
"Another mine field," said Hikaru, pointing to the hallway that stood in between them and the elevator.  
  
"But you lost your thermal goggles," Snake pointed out. "How can you...."  
  
"I can sense metal now, remember?" said Hikaru, cutting him off. "Anyway, I'll pick them up this time. I saw you do it earlier, so...." Hikaru got on her hands and knees and crawled forward, picking up all the mines and disarming them. When she was done, she was carrying roughly twenty Claymore mines in her arms.  
  
"Give me those," said Snake, taking the mines out of Hikaru's arms. "I have a feeling I'll be needing these real soon." Putting the mines away, he walked up to the elevator. It had the number 99 painted on it. "Oh, that's real funny," he shouted sarcastically to no one in particular.  
  
"What is?" asked Hikaru confusedly, staring at the elevator door.  
  
"Forget it," he snapped, and pressed the down button to call the elevator. Soon enough, the door hissed open, and Hikaru and Snake stepped inside. "Get ready for a fight, kid. I have a feeling we've finally reached the end."  
  
And so, the elevator travelled one floor down and unceremiously opened up. Snake and Hikaru stepped out, greeted by a now-familiar sight: A VERY wide open room, with dimensions of at least 500 by 500 meters, and a few long stacks of metal and wooden crates scattered about here and there, many of them stacked in such a way that they acted as walls. The only thing that stood out, however, was one BIG wooden crate in a far corner of the room. Snake took out his assault rifle, as if anticipating an enemy attack. Hikaru likewise drew her sword, also sensing that something sinister was afoot.  
  
"It truly is remarkably that you managed to make it this far, Snake," boomed an ominous voice. "Without a doubt, the title of 'Legend' is an apt one. And your companion, Hikaru, is equally worthy of praise."  
  
"Where are you?!" demandly Snake hotly, having had enough of the Wayfarer and his forces. He looked around the room frantically, ready to fire upon anything that moved.  
  
"Snake, over there," said Hikaru, pointing across the room. Snake turned to look in the direction she was pointing. Sure enough, there was the Wayfarer, walking out casually from behind a stack of crates, holding an M-16 at his side.  
  
"I had hoped that you would have reconsidered my offer and joined our cause, Snake. Your comrade as well," the Wayfarer went on, not looking the least bit concerned that Snake had his FAMAS rifle aimed right at him and was prepared to blow him away. "But it's obvious that the two of you are implacable. You've cut a swath through our base, decimated all my lieutenants, and significantly set back my plans. It ends here."  
  
"Those sound like fightin' words," Snake spat, his hands still gripping his rifle tightly.  
  
"He's right though, Snake. It WILL end here!!" cried Hikaru truculently. She glared at the Wayfarer menacingly and said to him, "We won't let you use a weapon like Metal Gear! And just who do you think you are, trying to remake the world in your image?!"  
  
"Because someone must!" he shot back. "Look at this world, and all the suffering and injustice, warfare and destruction. I and those who have gathered around me know full well how terrible a place this world had become, and see the need for a fresh start. The suffering I have seen wrought upon my Arab brethren by autocratic dictators is bad enough. And what about your country, Snake? America's sins are many," he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the dup. "Your nation was built on the backs of African slaves and over the dead bodies of millions of natives, and for centuries non-Caucasians were ostracized and denied justice, and to this day the American masses are manipulated by the rich and powerful. And your government continues to manipulate the international stage as if the Earth was one big chess board. And you, little girl, your people are not free of sin either. Need I remind you of the atrocities committed by the Japanese during World War II, specifically against the Chinese; atrocities that rival the evil done by the Nazis against the Jews?"  
  
Hikaru dropped her head after hearing this, a feeling of shame sweeping over her. But Snake was far from being beguiled by the Wayfarer's fine words. "ENOUGH OF YOUR SPEECHES!!" bellowed Snake. "You can try to justify your movement all you want, but it doesn't make what you're doing right! I've heard all this talk of a new world order before, from someone else. He was called 'Big Boss'."  
  
"That's harsh, Snake," the Wayfarer calmly replied, a stark contrast to Snake's belligerency. "Big Boss sought to plunge our world in an eternal state of war; I aim to eventually bring everlasting peace. I'm NOTHING like your father."  
  
The mention of Big Boss being his father chilled Snake to the bone, and he flinched and slightly loosened his grip on his weapon. But while he was unable to come with a retort, Hikaru did it for him. "And how many people are you willing to kill to bring about this peace?!" she demanded virily.  
  
"And how many did you kill to come and stop me? How many more would you have been willing to kill?" the Wayfarer spat in a vindictive tone. "And you, Snake.... how many have you killed to bring down Metal Gear in the past?" He paused for a moment, then continued. "Believe me, I have struggled with such questions myself. I wish to refrain from killing whenever possible. But still, this is something I must do!"  
  
"And we have to stop you!" shouted Hikaru, shaking with rage.  
  
"A pity, that," replied the Wayfarer. "I truly hoped we could have been allies, but it seems fated that we become adversaries."  
  
"Screw fate," Snake snapped. "I don't believe in destiny. We're all who we choose to be."  
  
"Perhaps you are right. And I choose to do.... THIS!" Without warning, the Wayfarer reached into his pocket with his free hand, and Snake heard something click, and a buzzing noise followed. Far across the room, the sounds of machinery springing to life could be heard. Specifically, they were coming from the huge crate Snake and Hikaru had noticed moments before....  
  
Then came the crashing sound of splintering wood, and out from the remains of the crate stepped a huge, bipedal battle battle tank, which Snake recognized immediately: the Metal Gear D, the same breed of Metal Gear that Grey Fox piloted in Zanzibar four years ago. "Oh crap," muttered Snake dejectedly.  
  
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, the Wayfarer readied his own assault rifle and fired upon the duo. As would be expected, however, they managed to deftly dodge the attack. Snake turned and fired a volley of his own, but the Wayfarer slipped behind cover before he could hit him. And even worse, by now the Metal Gear D was drawing near.  
  
"Oh, and by the way, my lieutenants and I concocted a special AI for that Metal Gear," called out the Wayfarer. "It can now fight on its own."  
  
"Can't we EVER catch a break?!" shouted Hikaru. "Snake, you go after the Wayfarer!" she ordered her partner. "I'll handle Metal Gear!"   
  
"Hikaru, wait!" Snake called out to her, but it was too late. She was already charging towards the approaching bipedal tank. This thing.... was huge. Bigger than the Gustav she faced earlier, even bigger than the ones New Way was making in that factory. Its presence seemed to loom over her.... the parts she knew were weapon systems all seemed to be aimed at her. But she knew she had to bring the monstrous machine down, or die trying.  
  
The Metal Gear's CPU obviously sensed the advance of its enemy and opened fine with its frontal machine gun. But Hikaru, having expected this, quickly rolled to the side and fired off her Flame Arrow spell. The stream of fire smacked into the tank dead-center, but all she managed to do was knock it back slightly. Hikaru could sense that it wasn't made of Wolframite's special alloy, but instead it looked like the armor plating was made up of some heat-resistant ceramic, which repelled her magic all the same.  
  
"Hikaru, the legs! The legs have lighter armor!" she heard Snake cry out above the sounds of gunfire from his battle with the Wayfarer. Hikaru turned toward the direction of his voice; indeed, there he was, exchanging fire with the Wayfarer as they both used the crates for cover. A part of her was worried about Snake, but by now she knew this fight wasn't anything he couldn't handle.   
  
She turned back to face the Metal Gear D - now that Snake had mentioned it, the legs DID in fact look rather weak. "Ruby Lightning!" she cried, and her deadly energy blast smacked into its left leg with crushing force. Once the haze cleared, Hikaru could she sparks and smoke sputtering from where she had hit it. Apparently, Snake had been right about the legs being its weak point. *This shouldn't be too hard,* Hikaru thought to herself.  
  
But as soon as Hikaru finished that thought, Metal Gear changed its mode of attack, responding to this attack on its sole weak spot with deadly force of its own. The missile launcher on its right side fired off two missiles that rapidly closed in on Hikaru. She attempted to avoid them the same way she avoided its machine gun fire. But halfway toawrds her, the trajectory of the missiles curved slightly to go after Hikaru. By the time she realized this, it was too late and the missiles were almost upon her. Acting on instinct, she flattened herself on the ground and the missiles harmlessly flew over her. But they impacted nearby, spewing debris and smoke everywhere.  
  
*Oh, lovely. They must be heat-seekers,* she thought angrily as she picked herself up off the floor and faced Metal Gear again. It opened fire on her with its machine gun again. Hikaru quickly jumped backwards to avoid it, but then it fired off two more heat-seeking missiles at her. But this time, Hikaru was ready. Using her stored energy, she projected heat onto one of the nearby metal crates, and the missiles turned to hit that instead. And while Metal Gear was wide open, she used another Ruby Lightning spell to strike its other leg, causing even more damage.  
  
Now, instead of just standing still and firing its weapons at Hikaru, the Metal Gear D charged forward, wildly spewing machine gun fire everywhere. *Guess it's now analyzed how much of a threat I really am and is now getting serious,* mused Hikaru as she ducked behind a wall of metal crates to avoid getting ripped to shreds. Once she heard the machine gun fire die down, she immediately leaped out from behind the crates and shot off her Flame Arrow spell at Metal Gear's main body. While its CPU was disoriented, she used her Ruby Lightning spell again on both its legs, filling the entire room with the ugly sound of metal twisting and cracking.  
  
But the Metal Gear D still wasn't downed. It charged forward again, crashing through the wall of crates Hikaru was using as cover. Hikaru was forced to retreat backward again and find new cover. Eventually, she found another suitable spot to duck behind and repeat her strategy. She used the Flame Arrow spell on its main body again to confuse its CPU, but as she was about to follow up with her Ruby Lightning spell, she heard a strange buzzing from behind her.... and it was getting closer. She looked behind her and saw another missile closing in on her fast. She deftly dashed aside, but she had noticed it too late; the missile impacted dangerously close to her and sent her flying, smacking into a wall.   
  
Her right arm and head impacted the wall hard, and the pain was so bad she almost passed out. But through sheer force of will, she remained conscious and turned to face Metal Gear again. Another volley of missiles had been fired directly at her. Fighting back the pain, she thrust out her left hand and channeled more of her stored heat energy. Cutting loose with a wide burst, she intercepted the missiles long before they would have reached her and caused them to detonate. Under the cover of the cloud of smoke they created, Hikaru slipped away.  
  
Her head was still spinning from hitting that wall so hard, and she could taste blood oozing from her mouth. Cradling her badly bruised arm, she ducked behind another wall of crates and tried to come up with another plan of attack. *New Way sure did a good job with that AI,* she thought bitterly, spitting out a glob of blood. In her current state, Hikaru knew she probably wouldn't to be able to avoid any more of Metal Gear's attacks. She wouldn't be able to face it head on anymore. *I wonder just how good that computerized brain really is....* she started to think. Then her bloodied lips curled into a wickd smile, thinking that she might have found a flaw in its programming. Calling upon her reserves of power again, she reached out with both hands and grabbed hold of one of the metal crates. She superheated the metal, and then with both hands pulled off a chunk of the crate as it was beginning to liquify. She continued to heat it even more, until she was able to handle it as if it were putty.  
  
She could hear the Metal Gear's heavy footfalls getting closer again. Once she determined it had gotten close enough, she darted out from behind her cover and shouted "HEY! OVER HERE!" It slowly turned around to face her, and once she saw she had a clear shot, she threw the ball of molten metal at it using her good arm. It splattered all over the missile launcher and covered up all six holes, just as Hikaru had planned on. Then, concentrating again, she reached outward toward the metal she had thrown and this time EXTRACTED the heat from it, causing it to solidify all over the missile launcher. Next, the Metal Gear D fired its missiles at her.... or at least TRIED TO....  
  
The entire missile launching apparatus exploded violently, almost causing the Metal Gear to fall down. "Yes!!" exclaimed Hikaru joyously. "That CPU of yours didn't have enough common sense to know I just made your missiles useless, now did it?" And then Hikaru shouted "RUBY LIGHTNING!" and fired her spell at one of its legs, concentrating with all her might. She had willed so much power behind her spell, she literally blew off its leg and finally caused the mechanical abomination to fall. The entire room shook with the force of the tremendous explosion it created when it hit the ground.  
  
*****  
  
Snake deftly jumped back behind cover as the sound of the Wayfarer's machine gun rang in his ears. *Damn, this guy's good. Must come from a lifetime's experience with guerilla warfare,* he thought dejectedly as he reloaded his own rifle with a fresh clip of ammunition. He again stood up from behind his ctare and fired at the Wayfarer. His enemy once again quickly ran to the side and fired back at him while doing so, forcing Snake to duck behind cover again.  
  
Off in the distance, he could hear the machine gun fire and exploding missiles from the Metal Gear D, reminding him of when he had fought that same machine long ago.... of his battle with Grey Fox.... His mind started to fill with worry for Hikaru, but he forced himself to snap out of it. *Hikaru'll do fine, she's handled everything else New Way's thrown at her. I've gotta concentrate on this Big Boss wannabe.* He reached into his grenade pouch and fished out a stun grenade, promptly pulling the pin and chucking it out from behind cover. Once he heard the flash-bang combo - along with the Wayfarer's startled cry - he leaped out again and looked about. There, off in the distance, was the Wayfarer, covering his face with his arm. But somehow, he must have known that Snake was about to open fire, because he used his other hand to fire blindly with his M-16, forcing Snake to duck out of the way. He did manage to shoot out some rounds of his own, and judging from the hideous cries of pain, some of his shots must have been on target.  
  
Snake frantically looked around for any signs of the Wayfarer, but it was obvious that he had taken behind cover again. Hopefully he had wounded him badly enough that he would be unable to continue fighting, but Snake had a feeling he wouldn't be that lucky....  
  
"Perhaps it was foolish of me to think I could battle the 'Legend' on equal footing," echoed the Wayfarer's taunting voice, as ardent and determined as ever. "Guess I'll have to fight dirty." Snake didn't know what he meant by that, but he had a feeling he wouldn't like it....  
  
His FAMAS at the ready, Snake desperately began to search around the maze of crates, trying to find the Wayfarer before he had a chance to try out his new strategy. But for several minutes, he had no such luck. *Goddamnit!! Where is he?!* he thought bitterly. As if on cue, he heard a strange sound.... and it was getting closer. Snake immediately recognized what it was: a stinger missile.  
  
Snake rolled out of the way just in time; he had stood there a second longer, it would have been all over. The missile's explosion resounded throughout the room and spraying debris and smoke everywhere. Snake immediately got back on his feet and turned in the direction where the missile had come from. Sure enough, standing atop a big stack of crates was the Wayfarer, armed with a missile launcher. Though he was very far away, Snake was certain he could make out a wicked, devilish grin on his face.  
  
The Wayfarer armed another missile and aimed his launcher directly at Snake. He was too far away to fire upon, and there was no way Snake could reach his position before he'd get blasted with the missile.... and the Wayfarer knew it. The Wayfarer did not fire his missile, even though he could clearly see Snake; it was as if he was daring Snake to advance....  
  
Then, all of a sudden, an incredibly powerful explosion shook the entire room and Snake almost lost his footing. He then looked up to where the Wayfarer had been standing, and saw he was no longer there. Evidently, that huge explosion had knocked him off his perch. Which gave Snake the opening he needed. He charged forward, determined to end this battle for good.  
  
Snake rounded a corner. hoping to catch the Wayfarer unawares, but instead he found the Wayfarer waiting for him, another missile armed and ready to fire. And he did fire it. Once again, Snake barely managed to jump out of the way in time. The missile instead hit yet another stack of crates and caused them to topple, forcing both Snake and the Wayfarer to back away from the falling containers.   
  
Snake knew that this would give the Wayfarer yet another opportunity to arm another stinger, and he couldn't run the risk of that happening again. It was time to end this for good. Snake leaped up onto the pile of fallen crates to try and reach to Wayfarer's postion. Sure enough, there he was, and had already armed another missile. The Wayfarer evidently had heard Snake approaching and turned to fire on him. Snake saw that it was now or never. Hesitating for only a second, Snake pulled the trigger and fired the rest of the rounds in his clip. All of them hit their target, and the Wayfarer dropped his missile launcher and unceremoniously slumped to the floor.  
  
Snake slowly walked toward his downed foe, nervous that he might have another nasty surprise waiting for him. But the Wayfarer just lay there, barely moving. "So, the Legend is victorious in battle once more," he spewed mockingly through choked gasps. Snake wanting to say something, say that he didn't want to do this, that he never wanted to be a 'Legend', that he would always regret the things he did here. But no words came to him, and all he could do was stare regrettably at his handywork as an uneasy silence lingered.  
  
The Wayfarer violently hacked up blood, and then said, "Don't celebrate just yet, Snake. You have defeated.... my lieutenants and I today.... but mark my words.... New Way.... is far from finished. And besides," he continued, smiling with bloodied lips, "that which you came to destroy.... that which was here in the beginning.... is still down here. Good luck beating THAT!" After that, the Wayfarer spoke no more. He just continued to stare accusingly at Snake, who looked on guiltily. Moments later, the Wayfarer breathed his last, and his body lay lifeless unmoving. It was over.  
  
Snake had no idea how long he just stood there, staring at the dead body of New Way's leader. The only thing that snapped him out of it was the sound of light footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, he saw Hikaru, bleeding from the mouth and cradling her right arm. "Snake, are you okay?" she asked softly.  
  
"I've had better days," he answered gruffly. "That big explosion... what was it?" he asked her, although he already had a good idea what Hikaru's answer would be.  
  
"That was me destroying Metal Gear for good," she replied with a slight smile, obviously pleased with herself for destroying such a horrific weapon. "It's over, it's finally over," she muttered, looking down. "Metal Gear's destroyed, it's finally over...."  
  
"I'm afraid not, Hikaru," Snake cut in. Hikaru looked up, staring at him wide-eyed with shock. "That must've been another little one New Way built themselves. The one we came to destroy in the first place is still somewhere down here."  
  
"Y-y-you m-mean," stammered Hikaru, "t-there's ANOTHER ONE?!! One that's even BIGGER?!"  
  
"Yup," said Snake. Then he turned around to pick up the Wayfarer's stinger missile launcher and take the remaining missiles from his dead body. He had no doubt he'd ned them against the last Metal Gear. When he had finished and turned back around though, Hikaru was still staring wide-eyed in front of her. But not at Snake, but instead at the slain leader of New Way....  
  
Snake looked at the Wayfarer's dead body, then turned back to look at Hikaru. *She's seen so much fighting, so much death,* thought Snake with an almost fatherly sense of concern. *No one should ever have to go through all this, especially not someone so young and has so much going for her.* Out loud, he said, "Forget it, Hikaru. Get out of here. I'll go fight the last one alone. I should've never let you come along in the first place.... you shouldn't have to put up with crap like this...."  
  
"NO!!" shouted Hikaru, cutting him off. "Like it or not, I *AM* part of this. I've seen too much already, and now I have to see this through to the end!" she said through tear-filled eyes. And Snake saw in her eyes, through all the tears, a fierce determination to finish what they had started, no matter how painful it would be.  
  
"All right, you win," said Snake, resigning in defeat. "Then come on. Let's get this over with. There should be a feieght elevator or something around here that leads even farther down...."  
  
And with that, the two ran off to fight their final battle....  
  
*****  
  
Next chapter: Metal Gear Gander  
  
So long,  
  
Grey Fox 


	16. Game Over

Tragic Heroes  
  
a Magic Knight Rayearth/Metal Gear crossover  
  
Chapter 16: Game Over  
  
4-28-2004  
  
by Grey  
  
Disclaimer: Solid Snake and Metal Gear are the creation of the gaming genius Hideo Kojima and the property of Konami. Hikaru Shidou and Magic Knight Rayearth are the creation and property of the talented ladies of CLAMP studios.  
  
Special Note: This is it - the final chapter. I've been brainstorming for this fic since I graduated from high school, and I've been working on it for over a year. To those who've been reading this thing since the beginning - namely Dr. Bross and Razor Knight - a big 'thank you' is in order.  
  
*****  
  
The steady hum of the freight elevator as it carried its occupants down resounded in Hikaru's ears. It wasn't particularly loud, but to her, it was positively deafening, cutting her to her very soul. Elevator shafts, infrared beams, mine fields, attack choppers, angst-ridden mercenaries, patrolling guards, the sounds of explosions and gunfire... all these things and more were driving her mad. She had spent several days trekking through Cephiro and not once did this sort of depression set in. But after only a few hours on this base Hikaru felt as if she was going to lose it.  
  
But she couldn't let herself. There was still one thing she and Snake had to do.  
  
She looked up at Snake. If he was going through the same internal fight with insanity, his face sure didn't show it.  
  
Hikaru looked away and stared at the floor, the hum of the elevator still echoing all around her. *Damnit, when's this thing gonna reach the bottom?!* she thought with uncharacteristic edginess.  
  
As if on cue, the elevator stopped and the doors flew open, revealing a long, winding hallway. "Well, let's go," said Snake. Clutching his newly-acquired missile launcher, he ran out of the elavator and down the hall. Hikaru sighed heavily, mentally readying herself for the battle ahead, then ran off after him.  
  
Soon enough, Snake reached the end of the hallway. He quickly took out his security card and slid it through the lock. The door immediately flew open, revealing a sight all too familiar to Snake....  
  
One huge 100 foot by 100 foot platform that was undoubtedly a cargo elevator, and strewn about were stacks of multicolored storage crates. It looked exactly like the room with the cargo elevator where he had brought down Metal Gear Gander a year ago. It was as if God himself was trying to screw with his head, and doing a very good job of it. For a while, he just stood there, staring at a scene that was like a spectre of his tragic past. It wasn't until Hikaru spoke up that he snapped out of it.  
  
"Snake-chan? SNAKE-CHAN?! Are you OK?!" she shouted worriedly. Snake simply shook his head, as if by doing that he could banish those traumatic memories from his mind.  
  
"I'm fine," he answered brusquely. But silently, he added *What a lovely time for my PTSD symptoms to set in.* He couldn't afford to let despair overtake him now, not when he and Hikaru were so close to finishing their job.  
  
And so, they took off. Just like a year ago, there was a huge hallway stretching outward from the elevator platform. And Snake had no doubt that, just like a year ago, his goal was at the end of that long, foreboding hallway.  
  
He was right.  
  
There it was, standing at the end of the hallway: Metal Gear Gander. Cables coming out of the walls were plugged into ports all over its body, and support beams were attached to key points of its upper body. All along, the U.S. government had housed a second prototype here, deep in the Philippines. And once again, terrorists had seized it and planned on using it for their evil deeds. Every time he thought he destroyed the last one, he later learned that a bigger, deadlier version was out there, ready to be used by some madman. Would it ever end? Would he ever be truly free of this demon that had haunted him for so long?  
  
The sight of Metal Gear Gander also filled Hikaru with dread and disgust. *THIS is Gander?!* she thought to herself with a sense of horror. The thing was at least ten stories tall, and it looked infinitely more sophisicated and deadly than the D model she had trashed moments ago. From where she stood, she could easily make out the two machine guns mounted at the front of its upper body, as well as the two cannons concealed on the upper surface. And its arms... she remembered Snake telling her that those were 'rail guns', capable of firing nuclear warheads and having them hit any spot on Earth.  
  
Future was right; with Rayearth's help, it would be so fitting and so easy to wipe out that monstrosity. But without her Mashin....  
  
"You actually FOUGHT a monster like that?!" Hikaru blurted out, finding it hard to believe Snake had once defeated such a powerful weapon. The other two Metal Gear models were one thing, but THIS....  
  
"Yup," said Snake nonchalantly, staring at it attentively. "Fortunately, it looks like it's inoperative right now. So let's take it out before...."  
  
"SOLID SNAKE!!!" bellowed a vehement, wrathful voice, seeming to come out of nowhere. Both Snake and Hikaru recognized the voice instantly. It was Trudy Nolan. "But.... she's dead!" cried Hikaru in a confused voice. "How can she...."  
  
The ominous voice boomed again, cutting Hikaru off. "If you are hearing this recording, then that means you've decimated New Way's entire inner circle. We always knew you might be sent to destroy this last remaining Metal Gear and that you'd kill off all of New Way's leadership to do it. To prepare for that contingency, we've installed an AI into this unit's control systems to be used as a last resort. This way, even in death, we will ensure you never achieve your goal!! PREPARE TO DIE!!!"  
  
And then, Snake heard the all-too-familiar sound of the hulking machine powering up. The support beams noisily detached from its body and receded into the walls, and the cables flew off one by one, the whipping sound they made echoing throughout the hallway. Then parts of Metal Gear began to move. Hikaru could see the frontal machine guns moving around, and a 'mouth' opened at its midsection, billowing hellish flames. (She didn't have to worry about that, but Snake was a different story.) Areas all around its body became illuminated as it powered up. Hikaru couldn't help but look up at the cockpit as Gander was powering up; it looks almost as if two glowing, menacing eyes were opening, looking down upon she and Snake with hatred and comtempt. At that moment, it truly looked like the incarnation of evil that it represented.   
  
*This is it,* Hikaru thought to herself. *We've overcome every other obstacle. Now it's time to wipe this thing out once and for all!* "Ruby Lightning!" she cried out, willing her magic spell to pack as much force as she could muster. Her blast smacked right into Metal Gear Gander's cockpit, but it didn't even react. It just stood there as if nothing had happened. *WHAT?! That was my strongest attack! If that couldn't do anything, then how....*  
  
Hikaru's thoughts were interrupted as she noticed its right leg coming up, and then it took a step forward, its footfall making a loud crash that echoed loudly in her ears.... and her soul. Then its left leg moved forward.  
  
Hikaru quickly turned to Snake, desperation threatening to overtake her. "Snake-chan! My magic's useless! How are we supposed to beat this thing?!"  
  
"One step at a time," he quickly replied as Gander's footstep echoed throughout the hall. If she hadn't known any better, Hikaru would have thought he was trying to be funny.   
  
Snake grabbed Hikaru's arm and took off, away from Metal Gear. "Listen, once it starts moving, it's practically a juggernaut, and we'll have no chance of beating it. But I was able to bring it down last time by planting mines and C4 right under its feet. This time, it'll be easier now that I have backup...."  
  
He didn't have to explain in any more detail - Hikaru got the message loud and clear. Once the two had run far enough away from the advancing mech, Hikaru twirled around and ran back toward it. She let loose with a Flame Arrow spell, hoping to get its attention. It worked. Gander turned to the side slightly and opened its 'mouth' wider, spewing out a cascade of flames as it advanced forward. *Looks like they never bothered to factor in my resistance to fire,* Hikaru thought smugly as the heat from the flames rushed into her, revitalizing her....  
  
And while Hikaru was using herself as a decoy, Snake managed to approach Gander unnoticed, just as it lifted its right leg to take another step. He quickly armed a claymore mine right where its foot was about to come down, and dashed away, Hikaru following suit.  
  
When its right foot came down onto the mine, the explosion rocked the hallway, and Gander even staggered back slightly. Hikaru reached out to 'sense' its right leg to see if the mine had any effect. Sure enough, she could sense small stress fractures forming in its armored frame. A few more mines, and David would once again fell Goliath.  
  
"Hikaru, think fast!" Snake cried out. She turned to face him, and he tossed her two claymores. She deftly caught them and, immediately knowing what to do, ran back towards Gander. Its flamethrower mouth proving again to be useless in stopping her as she ran in and armed another mine as it was about to step forward. This time, it was its left foot that stepped on the mine, but Hikaru sensed the same type of damage in its left leg as well. "About two more mines for each," she thought aloud....  
  
By now, Gander's CPU was beginning to compensate for Snake and Hikaru's tactics and acted accordingly. It ran forward at a faster pace, rapidly closing in on the two.   
  
"Hmmm, it's a bit faster this time," Snake mused as he turned about and ran back towards Gander. It belched fire again, but Snake did a rolling dive and easily got past the flames. And it was a simple matter for Snake to plant another mine in Gander's path and flee before its foot came down, detonating the mine and causing itself more damage. It didn't waste any time moving forward again, but it failed to notice Hikaru was directly underneath, arming another mine. Gander obligingly stepped onto this one too; now both legs had taken damage from two mines apiece.  
  
Now Metal Gear Gander charged forward, faster than Snake thought possible, spraying jets of flame around with wild abandon. It was too dangerous for him to move in and plant another mine, so he decided to simply arm one and toss it backward like a frizbee. Snake's aim was perfect; it landed on the floor without detonating, right under its left foot as it took another step forward.  
  
Hikaru reached out behind her with her mind and sensed that its left leg had taken almost more damage than it could bear. And judging from the sounds behind her, Gander was practically limping along. One more mine under its right foot, and it would be brought down for good!  
  
She decided to take the intiative herself and ran back at Gander, laughing it up on the inside as the flames brushed up harmlessly against her body, eagerly absorbing all the heat. But they did obscure her vision, making it hard to tell where Metal Gear's feet were. Then the flames cleared and she looked up: Gander's right foot was coming right down on her. Acting on a mix of battle instinct and fear, she leaped away just before its foot hit the ground....  
  
And she accidently dropped her mine....  
  
And Metal Gear Gander stepped on where she dropped it....  
  
The resulting explosion knocked Hikaru flat on her back, but she could see clearly in front of her. That last mine going off under its foot had finally done enough damage to its lower body, and it showed. Smaller explosions were going off all over its lower body, and because its badly-damaged legs could no longer support its great mass, Metal Gear began to teeter forward, its forward momentum causing it to fall. For a few seconds, panic overtook Hikaru, and she was unable to move. Eventually though, she got a hold of herself, picking herself up off the ground and running for dear life. But it might have been too late: Metal Gear was falling fast, threatening to crush Hikaru under the weight of its upper body.  
  
But then, out from the flames and resounding explosions, came Snake. Running as fast as he could, he reached out, grabbed Hikaru in his arms and slung her over his shoulder, and continued to run away from the collapsing mech. Snake kept on running, and Hikaru could still hear the sounds of deafening explosions and crashing sounds and the shrieking of metal being twisted and deformed coming from behind her.  
  
Eventually, however, the ear-splitting noises died down and Snake finally stopped running. He put Hikaru down, and then sat down, leaning against crate to rest. Hikaru recognized where they were: back on the big elevator platform from before.  
  
"Damnit Hikaru!" spat Snake, suprising Hikaru with his acid tone. "You got too careless back there! You could've gotten yourself killed!"  
  
Hikaru was in no mood for lectures. "Well excuse me!" she snapped back. "I was just trying to bring that thing down! And, well.... we did! It's finished. Mission accomplished, game over...."  
  
Snake shook his head vehemently. "Not yet we haven't. That was only the beginning." He jerked his thumb backwards, and Hikaru looked to where he was indicating. Situated at the center of the elevator platform was Metal Gear's upper half. Its frontal machine guns were still moving, and its eye-like cockpit lighting was still glowing....  
  
Hikaru just couldn't believe what she was seeing. "IT'S STILL WORKING?!" she cried out in disbelief. As if to punctuate her surprised outcry, the frontal machine guns began to spew bullets everywhere. Once again, Snake managed to save Hikaru's life through his quick actions, reaching out to grab her and pulling her down with him to take cover behind the crate. "This is just crazy," she muttered. "If taking out its legs wasn't enough, how do we finish it off?!!"  
  
"We go for the areas with lighter armor: its weapons. The machine guns, the upper cannons, the module on the back, and the flamethrower," Snake replied calmly, as if this was something he did every day. "But the thing is, those last three aren't vulnerable when closed up. We hit the machine guns to trigger them...."  
  
A clanking mechanical sound from above interrupted Snake's explanation. Hikaru looked up to see two orange conically-shaped machines floating overhead, each one as big as a normal man. "Oh crap, it's got those things again? Screw this," said Snake, taking out his stinger missile launcher. Within seconds, Snake had locked-on to one of the floating machines, and fired off a missile. Snake's missile was right on target and destroyed the floating machine instantly. The other one began to fire some sort of weapon, forcing Snake to take cover.  
  
"I'll get the other one," said Hikaru, firing of her Ruby Lightning spell at the second machine. The spell destroyed it as easily as the stinger missile had disposed of the previous one. But she had stepped out into the open to do so, and Gander opened fire on her now that she had exposed herself. She didn't need Snake to save her a third time though: she had heard the machine guns turning on her and immediately ducked for cover behind a crate. "OK, now how to knock out its weapons...." she began to think aloud.  
  
"Last time, I could trigger the other weapons to fire when I hit the machine guns," Snake shouted out, having heard Hikaru. "First, we take out those upper cannons." With that, Snake ran out from behind cover and toward the grounded Gander. Before it could fire on him, he ran toward its right side and chucked a grenade at its right machine gun. Upon impact, the circular metal plate on its top right side sprang up, as if it was a reflex. It immediately fired off two barrages of three shots each. Hikaru got the message, and fired off her Ruby Lightning spell right before it closed. Her blast hit a split-second before the upper cannon receded and she blew it off completely, leaving a gaping circular hole on the top of Gander's body.  
  
"Let's take out of the other one," said Snake as he ran toward Gander's other side, deftly dodging the machine gun fire it was spewing out everywhere. Hikaru quickly positioned herself so she would have a clear shot once Snake triggered the other upper cannon to open. Soon enough, he had tossed another grenade at Gander's machine guns and the explosion triggered its left cannon to open. Hikaru blew it away before it even fired off a single shot.  
  
"What now?" asked Hikaru, hoping somehow that blowing off its upper cannons was enough.  
  
"Next, there's the missile module on the back," Snake replied flatly.  
  
Hikaru's face immediately fell after hearing what came next. "MISSILE MODULE?!" she cried incredulously. Sure enough, she heard strange sounds coming from behind Metal Gear. She looked up, seeing six missiles being fired straight upward and then angling themselves downward at the two of them. In desperation, she dug into her reserves of stored power and lashed out, hoping to destroy the missiles before they got too close. But she only managed to take out four of them; the remaining two sped toward the ground at full speed, one coming dangerously close to Hikaru. Hikaru desperately dove out of the way, but the explosion still sent her flying, and she landed face-first on the ground.  
  
She immediately picked herself up, only to find Snake standing over her. "You OK?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think so," she replied faintly as she got back on her feet, shaking her head to banish the swirling stars from her vision.  
  
"OK then," Snake said, satisfied that Hikaru was able to get back up. "This time, you hit the machine guns to trigger its other weapons. I'll get in position to take out the module," he said to her, readying another stinger missile. "When I shout 'NOW', blast the guns and I'll fire a missile right into its module." With that, he took off. Soon Hikaru heard the sound of machine gun fire again, and quickly flattened her body behind another crate to avoid the barrage.  
  
After what seemed an eternity, she heard Snake shout out "NOW!" Without hesitation, he jumped out from behind cover and used her Ruby Lightning spell again, blowing its left machine gun clean off. Almost instantly, she heard missiles being fired upward from the back of Metal Gear, but this time she was ready for them. She managed to destroy all six before they could even change their trajectories.  
  
"HIKARU! AGAIN!" she heard Snake cry out. She promptly blew off the other machine gun turret. This time, though, there wer no sounds of multiple missiles being fired - just one big explosion coming from behind Metal Gear, along with a thick cloud of smoke rising from the back. Apparently, Snake destroyed the module with a second stinger missile before it got a chance to fire.  
  
"The machine gun turrets, the upper cannons, the missile module on the back," said Hikaru, reciting out loud the weapons they had destroyed. "All that's left is...." She was cut off by the loud sound of mechanical shutters opening. She turned to see Metal Gear using its last remaining weapon: the flamethrower mouth.  
  
A huge jet of flame surged toward her, but Hikaru didn't even bother trying to dodge it. There was no need, for the flames were essentially food for her. But once Metal Gear had finished its initial flamethrower volley, Hikaru shot her Ruby Lightning spell at its mouth right before it closed. Her blast decimated its mouth piece and fused it shut for good, and her attack caused a chain reaction throughout the entire mech. Explosions went off all around the downed machine, but soon after they had started, it was over. All of its weapons had been put out of commission, and the whole mech was now damaged beyond repair. Metal Gear Gander had been destroyed.  
  
Hikaru just stood there, admiring her and Snake's handiwork. She almost didn't notice Snake walking up beside her. "Not bad, kiddo," he said to her with a smile. "Like I said, this went a lot quicker with backup."  
  
"Thanks, Snake-chan," Hikaru replied gleefully. "So... is this it? Was this all there was to it last time?"  
  
"Well, um, not exactly," Snake admitted warily, having now remembered what happened last time. "But this time I don't think we have to worry about...."  
  
Snake was cut off by a sudden, loud buzzing noise. Then, Hikaru and Snake noticed the eye-like lightings of the cockpit area, now glowing more brightly than ever. Then there was a loud beeping sound, and it sounding as if something on top of Metal Gear had opened up. "What is it now?" Hikaru asked panickingly. "What's going on?"  
  
"No... NO!!" Snake cried out angrily. "They wouldn't, there's NO WAY!!"  
  
All of a sudden, the entire floor villently shook, and Hikaru could feel the platform beginning to slowly move upward. It was as if the elevator platform was beginning to move on its own. "Snake-chan, what's going on?" repeated Hikaru, turning to him. But he was no longer beside her. She looked around frantically, and saw him climbing atop Metal Gear, forcing his way into the cockpit. Hikaru quickly followed him into the cockpit, finding him frantically working the control panels.  
  
"The platform's taking Metal Gear's remains to the surface," said Snake, answering Hikaru's earlier question. "This thing can uplink with armed satellites and launch a nuclear attack from orbit. Those New Way assholes must've put it in as a last resort if we destroyed Metal Gear; they must've reasoned it would give the world a fresh start or some crap like that," he went on, his every word dripping with frustration and rage.  
  
As if to punctuate Snake's explanation, a computerized voice announced: "90 seconds until satellite uplink."  
  
Snake slammed his fists onto the consoles, screaming in frustration. "DAMNIT! They're not shutting down like last time! I can't stop it!!"  
  
"80 seconds until satellite uplink."  
  
"Let me try. Back off," ordered Hikaru. She really didn't even wait for him to move away; she fired off a heat blast at the control panel, incinerating the entire console. "There, that should stop the...."  
  
"70 seconds until satellite uplink."  
  
"What?! That didn't do it?!" Hikaru cried out. She was starting to get extremely nervous. If they couldn't find a way to stop the satellite uplink, millions would die....  
  
"They must've locked the controls. I don't think there's anything we can do," said Snake, sounding dangerously close to admitting defeat.  
  
"60 seconds until satellite uplink."  
  
Hikaru also began to feel hopeless. After all she and Snake went through to stop New Way, they were going to fail at the last minute, and millions of innocent people would be killed because of their failure. No, there HAD to be a way to stop the attack! But if the controls were useless, what could be done? There was only one way to stop the uplink: annihilate Metal Gear completely. But how? It was invulnerable from the outside, and even from the inside, her magic couldn't take it apart fast enough. Her new powers couldn't do it either; she had exhausted too much energy in her most recent battles. Even with the energy she absorbed from Metal Gear's flamethrower....  
  
Wait a minute.... The flamethrower.... Large amounts of fuel would be needed for a flamethrower that big and powerful....   
  
THAT WAS IT!!!!  
  
"50 seconds until satellite uplink."  
  
"SNAKE! Get out of here! I'll finish this!!" she ordered him, and slammed her outstretched hands down on the remains of the control panel. Then she mustered every last bit of energy she had left and focused it downward through the control panel, boring through Metal Gear like a drill from the inside.  
  
"What are you doing?!" shouted Snake, completely clueless as to what Hikaru was trying to do.  
  
"The flamethrower's fuel tank...." Hikaru said in a strained voice. "I'm gonna ignite all that fuel, and take out Metal Gear completely!"  
  
"40 seconds until satellite uplink."  
  
"ARE YOU FRIGGIN' INSANE!!" retorted Snake acidly. "You'll go up with it!!!"  
  
"I DON'T CARE!! If that's what it takes to stop the uplink, SO BE IT!!" Hikaru screamed as she continued to bore through Metal Gear with all she had left. "Now get out of here! At least you'll survive!"  
  
"30 seconds until satellite uplink."  
  
Snake understood Hikaru's logic. But that didn't mean he had to like it. He had seen too many people die right in front of him, and he couldn't bear seeing it happen again. Not to someone like Hikaru, who still had so much to live for....  
  
Seeing no other choice, Snake exited the cockpit and ran as far as he could away from Metal Gear's remains. If Hikaru could really do what she planned, the resulting explosion would be BIG.  
  
"20 seconds until satellite uplink."  
  
Meanwhile, back in the cockpit, the temperature was oppressively hot. The sheer heat resulting from Hikaru's efforts was heating up the cockpit as if it was a furnace. And she had managed to melt away a good deal of the mech from the inside-out, but she still hadn't found the fuel tank for the flamethrower. *No, it's got to be down in the front somewhere! I've got to find it!*  
  
"10 seconds until satellite uplink."  
  
*No.... almost out of time!!* Hikaru thought to herself. *Can't give up.... must find.... no, wait.... THAT MUST BE IT!!!*  
  
In one tremendous burst, she released every last bit of stored heat energy she had into the flamethrower's fuel tank.  
  
And what remained of Metal Gear Gander went up as if a bomb had exploded from the inside. And just in time too; it exploded a few seconds before the elevator platform finally reached the surface, where it would have uplinked with the satellites and caused untold death and destruction.  
  
Pieces of charred, twisted metal and flaming debris flew everywhere. But Snake had managed to open up one of the crates and hide inside it for cover. Once he was certain it was safe, he came out and inspected the scene.  
  
Practically nothing was left of Metal Gear now; it was just a big smoldering piece of scrap metal, fires raging out of control all around it. But Snake also noticed some steam rising as well. Then he noticed that it was still raining, but the clouds had somewhat cleared, and the sunshine was peering through. It was daylight now. And because of what he and Hikaru did at the Sierra Outpost, millions of people would now live to see another day.  
  
But what about Hikaru?  
  
Snake looked back down at the wreckage. There was no way amyone could have survived THAT. She had unthinkingly sacrificed her own life to stop a nuclear attack. Snake couldn't help but admire that kind of sacrifice, that kind of courage....  
  
"What the..." Snake thought out loud, noticing something funny. The flames were dying down, and not because of the rain. As if the flames were being sucked inward....  
  
Then, without warning, a tremendous column of energy shot upward from where Metal Gear Gander once was, sending even more debris flying everywhere. The beam was so massive and so powerful, it dissipated all the clouds overhead.  
  
Snake flung his arms up to shield himself from the bright light and the pieces of debris. When he finally put his arms back down, he couldn't help but to gasp at the impossibility of what he was seeing: Hikaru was standing right where Metal Gear's remains had been, alive and well. Apparently, she had somehow survived, but absorbed so much power that she had to let it all out immediately.  
  
Hikaru staggered forward on rubbery legs, but all the fighting she had done, all that absorbing and rechanneling of heat energy, it all had finall caught up with her. She wobbled and fell flat onto the platform. Snake was immediately by her side, even though he saw Hikaru was still radiating energy. Fortunately for him, his suit provided enough insulation. He bent down and swept her up in his arms. "Hikaru? Hikaru?! Can you hear me?" he asked in desperation, praying to whatever deities who would listen that she would be fine. "Please, answer me. Don't die on me now, kid."  
  
After what seemed yet another eternity, Hikaru began to stir. Her eyes fluttered, and slowly they opened to see Snake looking over her, holding her securely. "S-Snake-chan..." she muttered weakly. "The uplink.... di-did I...."  
  
"Yeah, you stopped it," answered Snake, an uncharacteristically broad smile forming on his face. "You saved us all. You destroyed Metal Gear."  
  
"No. Not me," she said softly, reaching out to grab Snake's hand. She squeezed it tightly. "WE did it." Then she leaned forward to give Snake a big hug.  
  
Snake was so overjoyed that his new friend was still alive, and Hikaru was so satisfied after having stopped Metal Gear Gander for good, that neither of them noticed a bright, white light enveloping to two of them.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Hikaru was awakened by the sensation of Hikari licking at her face. Slowly, gingerly, she opened her eyes and picked herself up off the ground. She looked around, noticing she was in a lightly forested area. The last thing she could remember was that she had chased Hikari here, and then...  
  
"Why did I black out?" Hikaru thought out loud. Shaking her head, she decided it wasn't important, but getting to school on time was.  
  
But she felt something funny on her head, as if something was wrapped around it. She reached up and felt a piece of cloth that definitely didn't belong there. She hastily pulled it off, and....  
  
"Huh?!" she blurted out in a confused voice. "What am I doing with a bandana on my head?!"  
  
******************************************  
  
THE END  
  
So long,  
  
Grey 


End file.
